A Chance in A Million
by missypaige06
Summary: PAIGE AND KYLE 'SHIP. SEQUEL TO ONE LAST CHANCE. its a week or so after Paige said goodbye to Kyle her heart is breaking and her sisters are on a mission to help her.paige has some problems, read to fnd out what they are. sister bonding, paige and kyleR&R FINALLY UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

A Chance in A Million

Hey guys. It took a while but finally thanks to your reviews here is the sequel to One Last Chance. I suggest you read that first – it won't take long as it's just a one shot. Anyways for the rest of you Paige / Kyle lovers here is the sequel fic. It takes place a week after One Last Chance.

Piper Halliwell hummed as she flipped the pancakes in the frying pan. She watched as she flipped them into the air and then deftly caught them. As usual she was the first person in the house to wake up. Leo had woken soon after her and was busy getting the boys up and dressed while Piper made breakfast.

"Mommy, pancakes for me?" Wyatt Matthew Halliwell asked bouncing into the kitchen ahead of his father who was carrying baby Chris.

Piper turned around and beamed. She had never been this happy, she and her sisters were closer than ever, P3 was a huge success, Phoebe's column was going from strength to strength and Paige had was as much a part of the family as Piper's kids were.

"Yes sweetie, mommy has special chocolate chip pancakes for Wyatt", she replied stooping down so he could give her a morning kiss.

"Does daddy get a morning kiss too?" Leo teased setting baby Chris down in the baby booster.

"Yeah, daddy's allowed a kiss too", Piper laughed as Leo wrapped his arms round her waist and planted a kiss on her lips. Piper laughed harder when Wyatt made a face.

"Hey buddy why don't you go wake Aunt Phoebe and tell her to come down for breakfast", Piper smiled as her son raced out of the room. She then turned once more to her husband kissing him again now that she had his full attention. "Do you wanna go and wake your other sister in law for me?" she pleaded.

"Sure thing honey but you know how dangerous it is to wake Paige up early", he teased heading up the stairs. He could hear Wyatt laughing and peeped in the door to find him bouncing on top of Phoebe in the bed.

"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell did your mommy send you up here to wake me?" she asked pretending to be annoyed but not succeeding. She could never be annoyed with someone this cute. Phoebe groaned as she rolled out of bed and gave her nephew a hug. She loved how he wrapped his little arms round her.

"Ok, go tell mommy I'll be down in a few minutes", Phoebe patted him on the head as she headed for the bathroom.

Leo walked up to Paige's room and knocked on the door, waiting to hear her grumpy reply. After a few seconds silence he knocked again and called.

"Come on Paige, breakfasts ready and I don't feel like being blown up before it cos I couldn't get you out", he called rolling his eyes. After yet more silence he poked his head in the door to see his youngest sister in law buried under the covers.

Sighing, Leo turned round. "Wyatt, come here little guy. Why don't you go and see if you can coax Auntie Paige out of bed", Leo held the door open for him, watching to see how Paige would react. Wyatt skipped in the door and quick as a flash started jumping on Paige's bed.

"Wake up Auntie Paige, wake up, wake up", he chanted with each time he bounced.

"Oh, Wyatt sweetie, Aunt Paige isn't feeling well. Tell mommy I'm just going to stay in bed for the day."

"Aunt Paige sick?" Wyatt asked and stopped bouncing immediately. He sat down thoughtfully beside her and then proceeded to give her a hug.

"Wyatt, why don't you go and tell mommy bout Auntie Paige and I'll follow you down in a minute, ok?" Leo said thinking Paige probably just wanted to sleep. It wasn't often she missed breakfast.

"Paige, you ok?" Leo asked concerned for the youngest charmed one. She hadn't really been herself lately but Piper had mentioned that it was at this time last year that Kyle had died.

Paige didn't answer but Leo saw her nod her head weakly under the covers. "Ok, well if you need anything just call", Leo told her in a low voice being gentle in case she had a headache.

He quietly closed the door and went downstairs to find Phoebe had joined Piper and the boys in the kitchen. Piper was serving up the pancakes and Phoebe had the morning's newspaper out and was reading it.

"Reading the advice column", he teased her.

"Well I hear the writer gives excellent advice", Phoebe smirked back.

"Yeah well here's some advice for you. Eat up before it gets cold", Piper cut in grabbing the paper from her sister's hands.

"Hey", Phoebe complained dragging the word out.

"Phoebe ……. Impressionable nephews here ya know. They need to learn that meal times are for eating and talking and not for reading and video games", Piper knew the best way to get a point across to Phoebe was to mention Wyatt and Chris.

The family ate in silence for a while, each trying to wake up and prepare for the day. Leo would be spending the day in magic school with the boys. Piper was going into Quake and was quite looking forward to it. A friend of hers had a caterer cancel at the last minute and had asked Piper to help her out. It had been years since Piper had worked at Quake but she loved working as a chef as much as ever. Upon hearing that Paige wasn't feeling well Phoebe had offered to work on her column at home. She didn't think Elise would mind since she had been at work every day that week without any "family emergencies".

After breakfast Piper packed a small bag for her boys and Leo orbed off to magic school with them. Piper told Phoebe that there was lasagne in the fridge from the previous night if she was hungry later and then left for Quake. Phoebe began working in the living room downstairs. She had her feet up on the couch beside her and rested her laptop in her lap. Halfway through "lonely in long beach" she heard footsteps upstairs. She stopped typing and listened harder to discover Paige throwing up. Phoebe shuddered, it sounded like Paige was violently sick, but by the time she went to check on Paige she was on her way back to bed. She looked deathly pale.

Phoebe sighed and returned to her letter but not soon after she heard Paige dash for the bathroom again. Closing her laptop Phoebe ran upstairs and found her leaning against the wall in the bathroom. Tears were running down her pale cheeks and she barely noticed Phoebe walk in.

"Sweetie, come on. You should go back to bed", Phoebe extended her hand and helped her younger sister up. Paige wobbled unsteadily and Phoebe helped her back into bed, covering her up and smoothing back her hair. She left the room briefly and returned with a glass of water and two tablets.

"Phoebs, I don't think I'll be able to keep it down", Paige moaned when she saw what Phoebe was holding.

"Paige, you have to try. As you are you keep throwing up and there's nothing to throw up with", Phoebe took her hand and put the tablets in it. She watched as Paige swallowed them and then handed her the water.

Paige swallowed and lay back down under the covers. Phoebe sat up beside her and pushed the hair back out of her eyes. They sisters stayed in silence for a while and when it seemed that Paige couldn't get back to sleep Phoebe decided to question her sister. She hadn't time in the bathroom cos she had been too concerned with getting Paige back to bed and helping her to feel better. Now though she had remembered that Paige had been crying when Phoebe found her in the bathroom.

"Paige, honey, is something the matter. You haven't been yourself in a while", Phoebe turned and studied her sister carefully.

Avoiding Phoebe's eyes Paige took a breath and answered "No, I'm fine Phoebe. I just don't feel well. Probably just a bug"

"But Paige, you were crying earlier…." Phoebe began but Paige interrupted her "I had just thrown up Phoebe. I always cry when I throw up"

This didn't ring true with Phoebe and she persisted "Paige, we've hardly seen you in the last two weeks. We all miss you, especially Wyatt." At these words Paige's eyes began to well up again.

"Paige, sweetie, talk to me", Phoebe took her sister's hand and squeezed it. Paige turned over so she had her back to Phoebe but Phoebe kept hold of her hand. This made Paige cry more and as much as Phoebe hated to see her sister upset she stayed as she was hoping Paige would confide in her. The plan didn't seem to be working however and when Paige sat up to grab a tissue Phoebe embraced her in a hug. She didn't know what was causing Paige to tear up so much but eventually Phoebe looked down and Paige had fallen asleep in her arms.

Phoebe sighed and stroked her sister's hair. She seemed hot but more relaxed now that she was asleep. Moving as softly as she could Phoebe laid Paige back down in bed and covered her. As she left the room she could sense great sadness coming from it. Whatever was bothering Paige was tearing her apart. Her sister's heart was breaking and Phoebe didn't know why but she was determined to find out.

Phoebe went back down to the kitchen and concentrated on getting the rest of her letters answered but she was having trouble concentrating. She was pretty happy when Piper returned home as this was a welcome distraction.

"Hey Piper, how was Quake?" Phoebe asked following her sister into the kitchen.

"Like I'd never left it but you know Phoebs, I miss it. Yeah, I mean its hard work but it's fun at the same time and so rewarding when you see people enjoying their meal after you cook it", Piper replied passionately and Phoebe hoped she wouldn't have to put up with Piper rambling on about cooking for ages.

"Sounds…..um good Piper. I'm glad you had a good day", she smiled at her older sister.

"How's Paige?" Piper inquired, already getting food out of the presses and fridge in order to prepare dinner.

"Not great, she was sick all morning and she's really upset about something", Phoebe continued to tell Piper about the events of the day.

"I thought Paige had begun to confide in us", Piper mused.

"Oh, she has, we're as close as ever the three of us but whatever this is, it's something big and its breaking her heart. I guess it hurts her to speak about it", Phoebe sat down at the island, watching her sister move efficiently around the kitchen.

As the sister were talking Leo orbed back in with Wyatt and Chris. Wyatt was as chirpy as ever and his first thought after greeting his mother was to check on his Aunt Paige but before he could make a run for the stairs Piper called him back. She patiently explained to him that Aunt Paige was asleep but that he might be able to go and see her later "if he was a good boy".

Pleased with this Wyatt directed his attention on his other favourite aunt and started telling her a new poem he learned at the crèche that day. Phoebe positively beamed at her nephew labelling him a genius. She scooped him up in her arms and gave him a big hug.

After a while Piper had dinner ready and the family sat down to eat, Phoebe still babbling about how great Wyatt was and how baby Chris was going to be just as clever as Piper and Leo looked on and smiled. When dinner was over Leo offered to wash up and suggested Piper and Phoebe go see how Paige was doing. The sisters quickly agreed and after putting Chris up to bed for a nap they approached Paige's room.

They could hear her crying as they listened at the door and received no answer when they knocked. Not waiting any longer Piper pushed the door open and Phoebe followed her into the room.

"Sweetie, what's the matter?" Piper asked, immediately wrapping her arms round her baby sister but Paige just shook her head.

"Paige, Piper asked you a question", Phoebe stated firmly trying to make eye contact with Paige.

"Nothing Piper, I'm fine, I – I just have a bad – a bad headache", Paige choked out. Piper and Phoebe exchanged glances.

"No, Paige. Look, we can see that this is tearing you apart. We want to help you Paige, you know we'd do anything for you – wouldn't we Phoebs?" Piper began in a gentle but firm voice.

"You don't even have to ask that Piper. We're sisters, best friends for life", Phoebe's voice cracked as she answered and her eyes too brimmed with tears as she moved closer to her two sisters.

"Right, Paige it kills us to see you like this. Please help us to help you, honey. We're all worried about you", Piper pleaded and pulled away from Paige so they could see each other.

They waited in silence for a while, Paige just sobbing her heart out, but eventually the silence was broken.

"He's alive, he came back", was all she could say before she collapsed into her sister's arms crying.

Well guys, that's chapter one. Hope you like it. Please read and review if you want chapter two  Until next time check out my other story if you have time and thanks for reading. --- Missy Paige


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own charmed or any of the characters mentioned so far or in this chapter

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews. Glad to see there are other Paige / Kyle fans and without further ado here is chapter two.

Chapter Two

_They waited in silence for a while, Paige just sobbing her heart out, but eventually the silence was broken._

"_He's alive, he came back", was all she could say before she collapsed into her sister's arms crying. _

"Paige, sweetie, try to calm down a bit. I'm not quite sure what you're talking about", Piper gently ran her hands over Paige's back trying to soothe her. Paige nodded as Phoebe looked on in concern.

The sisters waited in silence as Paige took deep calming breaths and gradually her tears slowed. "Ok, good sweetie, now try to tell us what's happening but take your time", Phoebe took Paige's hand.

"He's back. He didn't die", Paige looked at Piper who had her arms wrapped round her waist and was supporting her back. "Who Paige? Who didn't die?" she questioned carefully.

"K – Ky – Ky", Paige's voice broke before she could even say his name and she buried her head in Piper's shoulder.

Piper glanced at Phoebe as she continued to hold Paige. She didn't know what to think. Paige hadn't told her much but it sounded like she was trying to tell her that Kyle was alive. Piper and Phoebe both knew that couldn't be true. Kyle had died almost a year ago because of the avatars. She shrugged as best she could with Paige's head on her shoulder.

"Paige, what were you going to say? You have to tell us", Phoebe moved so she could see Paige's face. Paige looked at Phoebe but didn't make any attempt to speak.

"Kyle, is that who you were talking about Paige? Is that what's been bothering you for the last few weeks?" Phoebe spoke firmly now, making eye contact with Paige who nodded her head.

"But Paige, Kyle is, Kyle is well, sweetie, the avatars they…… you were there and you saw it happen", Piper tried to remind Paige that Kyle was killed but no matter how she tried she couldn't make it sound as less upsetting and her baby sister was clearly upset enough already.

"No. He is not dead. He is alive, I'm telling you", Paige managed to say with determination in her voice.

"Sweetie, you must be confused, maybe you were dreaming about him", Piper suggested tentatively but Phoebe shook her head.

"No, Piper, maybe she's right. I mean, how many things that we always thought were impossible have happened over the last seven years?" Phoebe found it hard to comprehend that Kyle could still be alive but something about her sister's determination suggested that she knew otherwise. If Paige was in denial then this was the worst case of denial Phoebe had ever heard of. Paige was convinced Kyle was still alive.

"I don't know Phoebe, I mean, how could he still be alive. Wouldn't he be with Paige if he was still alive?" Piper seemed dubious but didn't want to add to Paige's pain.

"Whitelighter", Paige whispered between sobs, making both sisters look at her. She hadn't spoken for so long the older charmed ones had almost forgotten that she was in the room.

"Paige, what was that?" Phoebe asked making sure she heard properly.

"Whitelighter" Paige repeated slightly louder. It was taking a lot of energy to tell her sisters and all she wanted was to go to sleep and make the pain stop but she knew as well as her sisters did that in order to help her she had to tell them what was going on.

"Oh my God, Kyle's a whitelighter?" Piper cried beginning to realize just some of what was upsetting her youngest sister. Paige nodded her head and both sisters knew immediately that Paige must be heartbroken. She didn't have long with Kyle but everyone could see that what Paige and Kyle had was real.

Piper particularly sympathised. She remembered how it was when she found out she couldn't be with Leo. She could remember how her heart ached and how determined she was to stand up to the Elders. She remembered how tough the battle against Them was and Piper didn't know if the Elders would allow their rules to be broken again. She was damn well going to help her baby sister though. In the end she had won and now was happily married with her soul mate and had two children with him. She wanted both her sisters to find the same happiness she had and would do everything in her power to help them.

"Leo, come here when you have a second", Piper called, hoping her husband could shed some more light on the situation since she doubted Paige would be in the mood to talk for a while. Not long after Leo appeared at the door to the room.

"Everything ok?" he asked looking at the sisters with concern.

"Leo, we think um…… we think that Kyle might be an, um, a ….. whitelighter", Phoebe began trying to get her head around the idea. "Can you check this for us?"

"Sure, I'll be right back", he kissed the top of Pipers head and orbed off.

"Ok, in the meantime we need to get ourselves together. Phoebs, would you mind getting some water and tablets for Paige's headache?" Piper asked taking charge of the situation. Phoebe nodded and after gently touching Paige's arm left the room.

"Missy Paige, you should change your clothes. They're wet cos you've been sweating and I don't want you to catch an even worse cold", Piper gently pulled Paige away from her and went to find some fresh pyjamas. Once she had them she helped Paige to change and pulled back the covers and fixed the pillows so Paige could sit up in bed.

"Thanks Piper and don't worry I can look after myself. I'll be fine again tomorrow and will get on with my life", Paige smiled bravely but Piper knew better. Not wanting to push the matter though she just nodded.

"Hey Aunt Paige. Look who I found downstairs and he is just dying to see how you are", Phoebe called cheerfully as she walked into the room with Wyatt by her side.

"Aunt Paige", Wyatt smiled brightly as he joined his mother and aunt on the bed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah Wy, don't worry I'm fine I'm just a little bit sick but I'm getting better", Paige reassured her oldest nephew as he gave her a hug. He looked up just as Leo orbed back in.

"Hey Wy – are you not in bed yet?" Leo teased picking him up and turning him upside down making him squeal.

"Leo, don't, he's not long after eating. You'll make him sick", Piper stood up but couldn't hide her smile. She loved to see her family all getting along.

"Hey, is that why Auntie Paige e was sick?" Wyatt looked at his father as Leo set him back down on the bed.

"No Wy, I think Auntie Paige is just a bit too big for Daddy to turn upside down", Leo smiled looking at Piper.

"Ok Wyatt, sweetie, why don't you go and get ready for bath time and then I'll put you to bed. You have to help daddy in magic school again tomorrow", Piper reminded him and at the same time took his mind of Paige.

"Ok mommy", he called as he bounced out of the room and went to get ready. Leo rolled his eyes – his son was always so energetic and followed to help him.

"Paige, you should rest for a while sweetie, and as soon as Wyatt's in bed and Chris is settled I'll get Leo to come back and tell us what They said", Piper promised as she squeezed her sisters hand which caused her eyes to flood with tears again. "No sweetie, don't cry", she begged. She hated seeing her sisters upset.

"It's ok, I'm not going to cry, I've cried enough", Paige said firmly sounding as if she was trying to convince herself as well as her sisters. "Thanks Piper and you to Phoebs. I don't deserve this much attention – I'm just being silly." Paige smiled and let go of Piper's hand.

"Mommy – I'm ready", Wyatt called from the bathroom and when Piper looked over she could see his head peeping out from around the doorframe.

"Coming sweetie", Piper called back but then turned to Paige "I won't be long so you just try and relax", Paige nodded "oh and Paige, you help keep this family together so of course you deserve all the love and attention we have to offer and don't ever think otherwise", Piper smiled and walked off to join Leo and Wyatt leaving Phoebe with Paige.

Phoebe lowered Paige's pillows so she could lie down in the bed but Paige still seemed restless. This time Phoebe didn't need to ask what the matter was. That much was clear. Phoebe lay beside her baby sister and wrapped a protective arm around her hoping to reassure her that everything would be ok. Paige had her back to Phoebe so Phoebe didn't see the tears running down her cheeks before she finally drifted off.

An hour later Leo had just finished reading a bed time story to Wyatt and Piper was kissing him goodnight. She switched off his light and closed it over leaving it open just a crack so she would still be able to hear him if he needed her.

"How is Paige?" Leo asked as Piper followed him into her bedroom.

"Very upset but I think she's feeling a bit better", Piper sat down on the bed beside her husband. "Did you find anything out?"

"Well, Paige is right. Kyle is back as a whitelighter but this isn't new. Paige has known for almost a year – are you sure she never mentioned it to you?" Leo looked at his wife confused. It wasn't like the now oldest charmed one to forget something but on the other hand he didn't see how Paige could keep something this big from her sisters for so long.

"Leo I would have remembered if she had. I waited and waited for Paige to breakdown after he died but she never did" Piper told him.

"Maybe she told Phoebe?" Leo suggested sounding doubtful.

"You and I both know that Phoebe can't keep a simple secret for five minutes. If she had been keeping this to herself I think she'd have exploded" Piper laughed and found herself looking into her husband gorgeous eyes.

"Right, poor Paige – she should have told you and Phoebe or even me as her whitelighter like I know I wasn't around much and you and I have had our fair share of trouble but ……. we'll be there in future", Leo smiled distracted by Piper looking at him. He took her hand and sat her closer to him so he could wrap his arms round her as they conversed.

"Yeah, from now on we stick together and look out for one another", Piper agreed leaning back into Leo's embrace.

"Piper, there's more to it than that though", Leo tried to keep Piper focused "Kyle was here. He came back last week to say goodbye to Paige. That must be what triggered it. A week ago Kyle was given 24 hours to spend with Paige to do as they liked but after that he had to leave. It was a final goodbye", Leo sighed as he thought of how his bosses had messed up the life of one of his family again.

Not knowing what to say Piper turned to face him and planted a kiss on his lips. Taken aback Leo fell back on the bed pulling Piper with him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt her lips part as his tongue met hers. Basking in their love for each other their kiss lasted quite a while before they pulled away from each other.

"As much as I love you, I think we have something else to deal with right now", Piper sighed taking Leo's hand and pulling him up.

"I agree", Leo smiled and wrapped his arm round Piper's waist as he kissed her neck.

"Leo, did you even hear a word I said?" Piper asked firmly but not pulling away.

"Yes dear", Leo replied automatically between kisses.

"Good, well come on then. You have a sister in law who really wants to hear what you have to say", Piper finally found the motivation to pull away and led her husband down to the youngest charmed ones room. Inside they found Phoebe and Paige lying together, the older looking out for the younger whose face was flushed and who was sleeping restlessly.

"Ok, how do we do this?" Piper asked as Paige began to wake up and Phoebe helped her sit up.

"Leo, what did you find out?" Phoebe questioned immediately solving that problem. Piper sat next to Paige holding one hand while Phoebe held the other. Leo moved closer and stood where each charmed one could see him.

"I found out that this didn't happen all of a sudden, am I right Paige?" Leo looked in concern at the youngest sister who merely nodded her head, while Phoebe looked shocked.

"What? Paige when did it happen?" she asked trying to get her head around it. Paige shook her head and once more her sisters saw that she was crying but Phoebe didn't want to let it go this time. A part of her felt hurt, maybe even betrayed that Paige hadn't confided in her. Phoebe considered them to have a very strong bond and thought Paige knew that she would always receive support from her sisters. "You need to speak Paige. I understand you don't feel well but we want to help. We are all here for you", she pleaded.

"A year ago", Paige moved so she was closer to Piper. When nobody said anything she took a deep breath and continued to speak trying hard not to cry. "Kyle came back a year ago to tell me he was a whitelighter. He then left and I didn't see him again" Paige planned to finish the story at this point but Leo once more let her know that he knew the full story.

"You have seen him since then though Paige, haven't you?" he raised his eyebrows and Paige shot him a glare.

"Ooh the Halliwell glare", Phoebe teased Leo until Piper nudged her telling her to keep quiet.

"He came back once. That was it. We spent a whole day together and then we had to say good – good, we, he had to g –", Paige couldn't finish the sentence she was shaking so much and sobbing as Piper held her. Before she could help Paige back into bed Paige bolted from the room to the bathroom and threw up again. Her sisters followed and seeing how unsteady she was Leo volunteered to orb her back to bed. Phoebe had the covers pulled back and as soon as Paige was in bed Piper laid beside her, calming her as Leo and Phoebe exited quietly.

"What do we do Leo? How can we help her, she's heart broken" Phoebe looked at her brother in law and whitelighter who she trusted as much as she trusted her sisters. Phoebe had revealed big secrets to Leo over the years and just knowing that he was there made her calmer.

"I'm not sure yet Phoebe but I swear to you, together we will find a way to help Paige", he was interrupted however by another voice.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance there", the voice said.

Well that's chapter two guys. Sorry for the long wait. Please, please review. Who do you think the voice belonged to? What do you think is happening to Paige? Please also leave suggestions cos I'm just going along with the story as I write and am afraid I'll get stuck. Don't forget if you want more – have to review :) until then – missyPaige06


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Guys, I'm so sorry it's taking me forever to update, I left the cliffie a bit too open even for me so had a lot to think about and then stuff happened and I had work experience for three weeks and holidays and well summer happened. Anyways as of today I am back at college and have more free time (ironic I know) so I should update more. Please review to let me know if I still have readers and if I should continue : )

Phoebe and Leo spun round quickly to find Cole Turner leaning casually against the door. Trying not to show how freaked out she was Phoebe subtly moved her hand onto Leo's arm for support before narrowing her eyes and addressing Cole.

"What the hell are you doing here, actually Cole, more to the point how the hell are you here?" she growled trying to keep her voice low for Paige's benefit.

"Nice to see you too Phoebe. Miss me?" he asked grinning which angered her more.

"Cole, she asked you a question" Leo replied joining the conversation as he too glared at his one time friend.

"Leo, old buddy old pal. Surely you're glad to see me?" Cole turned his gaze to Leo.

"You stopped being my friend Cole the moment you threatened the charmed ones, hurt Phoebe, tried numerous times to kill Paige ……." Leo started to list all the evil Cole had done before he was vanquished.

"Ok, ok I guess I was a bad boy but things have changed my friends, things have changed" Cole answered still grinning despite the fact the former love of his life and friend were shooting daggers at him with their eyes.

"Well, you can explain in the kitchen, away from Piper and Paige", Leo growled leading the way downstairs.

"Leo, what and why?" Phoebe complained in a whiny voice following him.

"Cos, Phoebe I don't think Paige can deal with much more right now do you? And he said things have changed, he's back for a reason we may as well find out what it is", Leo replied reasonably but Phoebe could tell by the way he sighed that he was less than happy about it.

Upstairs, Piper was lying beside Paige trying to calm her. Paige showed no sign of drifting off to sleep but she showed no sign of wanting to talk either. Piper smoothed back her hair repeatedly her heart breaking as she embraced her youngest sister who had a constant flow of tears rolling down her cheeks

"Paige, you know you have to talk about this", she gently tried to persuade her heartbroken sister but Paige showed no sign of even hearing her.

"Paige, seriously, what we did tonight wasn't talking it was just getting information from Leo and you barely said a word. It will really help you if you can talk about it but we need to know what happened" Piper decided to let Paige know that this was far from over and that she wasn't prepared to let Paige fall into a depression.

Paige again didn't stir but a new tear slipped down her cheek and she snuggled in under the covers more. Sighing Piper gripped Paige in a tighter embrace and eventually she saw that Paige had fallen into a light sleep. Very gently Piper stood up, stretched and headed downstairs to see where Phoebe and Leo had gone.

Phoebe and Leo stood side by side in the kitchen as Cole faced them. He was in the middle of explaining how and why he was back when Piper entered the kitchen.

"Oh crap, have we time travelled again?" she muttered to herself seeing Cole in the kitchen. She was about to attempt to blow him up when she caught some of the words coming out of his mouth. He was saying something about Paige and whitelighters and Kyle Brody and it was only then that Piper realised she wasn't in the past.

"What. The. Hell. Is. HE doing here?" she growled looking angrily at Phoebe and Leo.

"We were just getting to that, Piper", Phoebe rolled her eyes at her sisters reaction.

"Well sorry Phoebe but I was upstairs worried about our baby sister who if you have forgotten is…." She trailed off not wanting to reveal anything to Cole.

"Piper, good to see you again", Cole couldn't help but smirk when he saw that his former sister in law hadn't learned to control her temper where he was concerned.

"Bite me", Piper glared at him as she too stood by Leo.

"I believe Paige was the vampire not me", he quipped but then cleared his throat and looked ashamed as he remembered why he was there. "Anyway, I'm here because of Paige actually", he went on to explain.

"To try to kill her again is it?" Piper replied quickly but Leo wrapped his arms around her asking her to let Cole continue.

"No, Piper you have to believe me, I'm here to help Paige. The Elders have decided to give me a second chance, I have no powers except for orbing and sensing which I'm not great at but my first mission is to make it up to this family and especially to Paige", he paused for breath.

"What are you talking about Cole?" Phoebe asked during the moments silence that followed.

"The Elders are having problems up there, as they share powers with whitelighters and as their powers are more advanced they can sense the emotions of their charges and especially their whitelighters. It's one of the reasons they finally allowed you and Leo to marry, Piper they could tell that he would clip his wings for you and that you may not continue the charmed destiny with your sisters" Piper nodded her head still not fully understanding what point Cole was trying to make. As if reading her mind Cole continued.

"My point is the Elders can feel some of what Paige is feeling. Her pain is unimaginable, its more than heartbreak and its distracting the Elders which leaves you guys vulnerable in two ways…….. Paige's powers are tied to her emotions and right now she's emotionally unstable but also the Elders are feeling all this and it is stopping them from predicting future major attacks" Cole explained. "I have been sent to try and help Paige move on"

"Get out. Get out now Cole", Piper shouted as he finished his explanation. Cole and Phoebe looked at her surprised.

"Piper, I'm not crazy about having him here either but he has no demonic powers he's not that big of a threat" she tried to explain but Piper looked at her.

"Phoebe, don't you get it…… They only sent him because they were too distracted by her emotions, they don't care about Paige. They think she can just move on from Kyle but she can't Phoebe, she can't. You saw her upstairs…… she won't eat, she can't sleep, she is making herself physically sick and becoming too withdrawn. She won't be able to move on……. I think… I think Phoebe, he was her solemate and I for one will help her fight for him", Piper told her sister the determination evident in her voice.

"And you", she added to Cole, "You can help me but be warned, if you cross the line I won't hesitate to vanquish you, now kindly orb Up There and tell them that there is no freaking way we are going to let them upset our baby sister anymore than she already is so they better come up with some alternate solution" Cole nodded looking sincere and orbed out just as Paige stumbled into the kitchen.

"What's with all the shouting?" Paige croaked holding her head and looking at the others grouped around the kitchen.

"Nothing sweetie, you should head back up to bed. We promise to be quiet from now on", Phoebe glanced quickly at Piper and Leo as she started to usher Paige out of the kitchen.

"Is there a demon on the loose, I heard loud voices", Paige continued sensing tension in the room.

"No, nothing we can't handle. Would you like us to bring anything up to you?" Piper answered her as she too attempted to soothe Paige. Paige shook her head and allowed herself to be led back to her room. She knew there was something going on but at that moment she didn't have the energy to investigate.

She lay in bed a few hours later, unable to sleep and thinking of Kyle. Every thought filled made her heart heavier as she realised she had truly said goodbye. She would never see him again. She would have to carry on with her charmed destiny, saving people's lives so that they could live happily, but who would save her? Who would be there to look out for her, to comfort her when she was sad, to protect her when she was vulnerable, to create mischief with her when she was hyper? Sure, she had her sisters but they had their own lives. Piper had Leo and the boys and Phoebe was playing the field too getting to know a couple of different guys.

The truth was Paige didn't really have anyone. She had Glenn, but they had become distanced from each other and only really spoke on the phone from time to time. It had gotten to the point now where Paige didn't want anyone else, there was only one person she wanted, she needed to make her whole again and that was the person she couldn't have. These thoughts in her head, Paige felt the tears slipping down her face once more and pulled the sheets tighter around herself.

Three mornings later Piper was pleased to see her youngest sister walking into the kitchen at 8am. Having watched Paige fall apart the last couple of days and refusing to eat and unable to sleep Piper had strongly encouraged Paige to take it slowly and to try and use her inner strength to get out of bed. Piper didnt think this little chat had been very successful though she didnt have much to base this theory on as Paige had just stayed still as if she wasnt even listening, not showing any sign of taking in what Piper had said. Piper had ended the conversation by telling Paige that she expected to see her at breakfast really soon.

"Morning Paige, muffin?" she greeted her cheerfully.

"Morning, and um no just some toast I think", Paige replied sitting down and opening the entertainment section of the newspaper.

"Did you see any sign of Phoebe when you were getting up? She's due in work soon and so far she hasn't appeared in the kitchen ……. Unless she got up before six but this is Phoebe so I highly doubt that".

"Crap, I'm running late, morning, no time for breakfast…….Elise is so going to kill me……. Piper, don't forget you have to pick up my dress from the dry cleaners and Paige……. Paige! Sweetie, it's so good to see you up and ready for the day but as much as I love you I have to run…..you know, cos I'm….." Phoebe rambled grabbing one of Piper's muffins and literally running out the door.

"Late….see ya Phoebs", Piper and Paige finished her sentence and grinned.

"Well she's up then….." Paige commented but she didn't seem her bright and perky self not that Piper really expected her to be.

"Looks that way though she was going so fast it was like a blur racing around the kitchen and rambling on", Piper grinned but Paige didn't return the smile. A silence followed and Piper used the time to try and find a way to bring up the subject of Cole, Kyle and Paige's plans from now on.

"So, are you working today?" she asked Paige, not having any idea as to how to bring up the fact that Cole was back and it not really being the time to talk about Kyle.

"No, I'm just going to stay around the house today and see how things go. I still have a strange dizziness when I walk and …… I just don't think I'm ready to face people yet", Paige finished in a low voice.

"That's ok sweetie. You take your time, a little each day and if you need to talk we're all here for you", Piper patted her arm as she put the toast in front of her.

"You know what Piper, I actually am not hungry I think I'll just go for a walk…" Paige stood up quickly surprising Piper and left swiftly.

"Paige, wait I didn't mean to upset….." Piper never got to finish her sentence as Paige called "Love you" and headed out the door.

"Leooo", Piper sighed as she called her other half. He quickly orbed down beside her, wearing just a towel.

"Piper, I was just about to shower. Is everything ok?" he kissed her and looked at her in concern.

"I can see that and I just want you to sense Paige, she left in such a hurry and I think she's upset again", Piper sighed thinking that she would have to be very careful what she said from now on as Paige was proving to be quite sensitive. She watched as Leo closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated.

"She's right here. In her room" he replied looking at Piper. "She must have orbed once she went outside"

"Great, just great. Leo, I don't know how to help her, I really don't. She just seems to want to stay in bed and cry all the time." Piper's face was concerned and she was pleased when her husband wrapped her in his arms. She always felt reassured when he was there with her and for just those few minutes when she was in his arms all her worries ceased to exist.

"She needs time, Piper and you are doing everything you can for her just by being here for her. Paige knows she can come to you or Phoebe any time and that you will always be ready to listen but you cant make her talk and you cant make her listen. As the next few weeks pass and Paige realises that hiding from the world doesn't help she will come to rely on her sisters more and more and all you can do til then is wait", he kissed his wife on the head and looked her in the eyes. He knew her tendency to blame herself and it was time she realised that she couldn't stop all the bad things from happening in life. Taking the dishcloth he began to dry up as she washed.

The couple spent the morning together doing ordinary things but enjoying being together. They felt bad that Paige was alone upstairs but they knew she needed space and it wasn't until lunch time that Piper dared approach her baby sister to bring her a cup of tea. As soon as she opened the door of Paige's room though she saw blue lights and found the room was empty.

"Paige" she shouted in frustration but it was no use. Her baby sister didn't want to talk or listen or eat and after waiting for a few moments Piper knew she wasn't going to return without some encouragement. She set down the tea as she heard Phoebe arrive home and she quickly explained the situation to the middle sister.

"Ok, you go to work and don't worry. It's about time I had a go at talking to Paige and don't worry i'll have her back before you get home", Phoebe promised Piper.

"Orb me to her, Leo", she asked him looking determined. Leo nodded and orbed out.

Phoebe and Leo rematerialised on Golden Gate Bridge. There they found the youngest charmed one looking down at the cars with tears in her eyes.

"Paige..." Phoebe began moving slowly towards her sister but before she could utter another word Paige orbed off. Rolling her eyes Phoebe grabbed her brother in law's arm and they once again orbed off.

This time they found Paige on a beach, up to her waist in water. It was as if she was in a trance as she walked further and further into the water as it rose higher and higher up her body.

"Paige Matthews. Get back here right now, damn it", Phoebe shouted unable to believe what she was seeing. Paige didnt respond and Leo orbed in catching her by the arm. Without much of a struggle he pulled Paige back to Phoebe. She was shivering but acting as though she didn't recognise Phoebe. Without a word she orbed once more.

"This is bloody ridiculous. What has gotten into her?" Phoebe cried in frustration. "She is going back to the manor next time i catch her and she is not orbing anymore". Once again she and Leo orbed.

They were in the park again but not on the bridge. It took them a minute to see Paige as she was doubled over as though she was in pain. Phoebe realised quickly however that this wasnt physical pain – this was emotional pain. Paige's face was red and tears were flowing down her face every second. She was crying so hard she was struggling to breathe. Leo touched Phoebe's arm and pointed to the tree. She looked up and immediately saw the carving on it:

Kyle Brody loves Paige Mathews forever.

"Honey, c'mere...shh it's ok, its all gonna be ok", Phoebe soothed wrapping her arms round Paige who had sunk onto her knees. "Let's get you home and into dry clothes", she added nodding at Leo. Understanding that Paige would be unable to orb her immediately went over to the two sisters and orbed them all back to the manor.

Once there Paige fell onto her bed and grabbed her pillow hugging it tight still struggling to breathe.

"Paige, look at me sweetie", Phoebe immediately sat by Paige but Paige was too distressed to listen.

"Paige, you have to calm down, this isn't good for you", Phoebe continued louder touching her sisters arm. Seeing that this was not making any difference Phoebe repeated the sentence much louder startling both Paige and Leo. Paige finally looked up.

"Ok, good girl it's ok Paige just try to breathe", Phoebe soothed watching her sister carefully. They waited in silence for a while as Paige slowly calmed until she was as quiet as she had been all week and the only sign of emotion were the tears that appeared to constantly be flowing down her face these days.

"I'll go get some water", Leo suggested more to Phoebe than to Paige and he left the room as Phoebe wrapped her arms tight around her younger sister.

"It's ok Paige, its all gonna be ok" she comforted and to her shock she heard her sisters hoarse voice.

"It can't be ok Phoebe. It can't be ok without him, he's my life and I can't live without him"

A/N: Ok there finally is the next chapter and I have an actual plot now so the story should get better, please review let me know if I should continue or if I should put the story on hiatus. The next update (pending reviews) will not take as long – let me know what you think about Cole. The story won't focus on him but should he stick around? Should I write him out eventually? Anything you would like to see happen (besides Kyle returning)? Hope you enjoyed it, sorry again about the delay – MissyPaige06


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 5

A/N: Ok I'm not even going to try and explain myself because you guys have waited far too long for this update. Yes, my life has been busy but I have also neglected this story and I hope to focus more on it soon. Just know I will never give up on it, I'm not a quitter but I'm not going to promise speedy updates cos I always let you guys down. I promise to TRY to update better though.

Three weeks had passed and things had not improved in Halliwell manor. Paige had good days and bad days. On good days she could be persuaded to rise out of bed but she always stayed around the house and still wasn't speaking much. Neither Piper nor Phoebe could find a way to help her as although they offered every day to listen to her Paige just thanked them but declined.

It was a wet, miserable, cold Thursday morning and Paige was in bed as was the norm by now.

"This is ridiculous, it can't go on – she's not eating, she's not talking and she's becoming more withdrawn than ever", Piper huffed as for the fourth time that week she walked downstairs with Paige's breakfast on a tray.

"Doesn't want it?" Phoebe asked seeing the frustrated expression on Piper's face.

"Doesn't even want to wake up properly", Piper sighed. She walked over to the bin about to throw it out when Cole suddenly appeared causing her to pause momentarily.

"What, are you crazy? Some of us are starving", Cole exclaimed on seeing the plate full of food Piper was about to throw out.

"Well, it's yours if you want it", Piper rolled her eyes handing the plate to Cole before heading over to the stove she proceeded to carry the items that needed washing up over to the sink.

"Piper, I've missed your cooking", Cole told her appreciatively with his mouth full.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it. At least not til Paige finds out about you not being dead and all" Piper warned though she looked happier now that her food had not gone to waste.

"A-hem, hem," Phoebe cleared her throat loudly indicating that Piper's food wasn't the main issue at this moment in time.

"Yeah, sorry Phoebe", Piper offered an apologetic smile before turning back to Cole. "Any word on Brody?"

"No the Elders are getting pissed though, they can't focus because they feel too much of Paige's pain and they refuse to budge on the issue", Cole informed them, still eating hungrily.

"Well", Phoebe scoffed "I know the Elders are useless at the best of times but I never thought they were stupid on top of it all. If they don't want to feel Paige's pain anymore THEY NEED TO SEND KYLE BACK TO HER" she raised her voice at the end, hoping they'd get the message.

"Not gonna happen Phoebe. Trust me, I've been trying to strike up a deal with them for almost a month now" Cole shook his head.

"I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you", Phoebe muttered too low for Cole to catch what she had said. She sighed "Well it worked for Piper and Leo, it was worth a shot" she shrugged.

"We'll get him back Phoebe. If they want to end their pain and that of Paige and if they value their precious power of three they will give him back", Piper replied determined.

"We keep saying that Piper, but nothing seems to work. They don't want to make a deal, they refuse to send Kyle back even though it's not only affecting them but also Paige and the power of three. I can't help feeling discouraged", Phoebe sighed.

"That's not an option Phoebe. I will help Paige if it's the last thing I do" Piper swore.

"I think, for now the best way to help her is to get her to a doctor or even a... a psych. If she won't talk to us maybe she'll talk to a stranger", Phoebe suggested.

"And if she doesn't?" Piper asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well then, hopefully she will see that it's easier to talk to her sisters. It's got to be worth a shot", Phoebe pointed out.

"You've been thinking about this for a while haven't you?" Piper asked.

"A day or two, yeah. I think we need to get Paige to open up and right now it's not working".

"Um, ladies, not to rain on your little parade here", began Cole who had devoured the food by now "but your younger sister can be a small bit, um, stubborn. How do you propose to get her to see whoever it is?"

"The man has a point", Piper admitted gesturing towards Cole.

"Well, we'll both drag her if we have to. Let's face it she's not as strong as usual at the moment, not as argumentative either. She might just give in and come", Phoebe elaborated.

The sound of running feet is heard upstairs, followed by the slamming of the bathroom door.

"Hold that thought Phoebs, it's my turn to go this time", Piper sighed. She quickly filled a glass with water and walked upstairs leaving Phoebe and Cole together.

"Look, Phoebe. I know, in the past I may have been a little...", Cole began but never got to finish his sentence.

"Save it Cole. I don't want you here, I don't need you here but I can accept that you were sent here for a reason. Now get back Up There and work on getting Brody back for Paige and I might consider listening", Phoebe snapped.

"Phoebe, please..."

"Cole, I'm going to ring the doctor, now go. Please."

Paige groaned and pulled the covers on her bed tighter around her. She wished it was Kyle's arms but right now any comfort would help. "Phoebe. Get away" she grumbled as her older sister grabbed the bottom of her quilt in an attempt to pull them off.

"Rise and shine Missy Paige", Piper chimed in cheerfully as she drew back the curtains and the blind rose.

"Piper – I already told you. I'm not getting up today now will you too quit it and leave me alone?" Paige growled.

"Nuh – uh. You, missy are coming with us today. We have plans and they include you", Phoebe told her. "Now, come on. You need to go shower", she added taking Paige by the hand and pulling her out of bed.

"I'm not going..." Paige began.

"Yeah, yeah, we heard you the first hundred times", Piper cut across her grabbing some clean clothes for Paige.

"Now hurry. You have twenty minutes and then we'll be back", Phoebe added as she guided a pale looking Paige to the bathroom.

Paige sighed as she locked the bathroom door behind her. She turned on the water in the cold tap and waited a few seconds before splashing some water on her face. "C'mon Paige, you're stronger than this. It'll be ok...somehow", she whispered to her reflection.

She turned the water on in the shower and slowly removed her bathrobe before stepping in, letting the warm water beat against her skin, wishing she could wash away her thoughts just as easily as she could wash her body.

Everything she did reminded her in some way of him. As she dried herself she thought of the way he used to massage her soft skin when they were alone, when he wanted to wake her up in the morning. When she ate she was reminded of the time she tried to cook for him, how he had bravely eaten every last morsel insisting he loved it...

Taking a deep breath she grabbed the stuff for washing and opened the door to make her way downstairs to her sisters.

"You're taking me where?" Paige asked shaking her head. She was sitting in the back seat of the car while Piper drove and Phoebe kept her company in the back seat.

"To see the doctor, honey. We're worried about you", Phoebe touched her younger sister's arm reassuringly.

"No I'm fine. Honestly, it's just this whole Kyle thing but I'm feeling better now. I'm even thinking of going back to work this week", Paige fibbed.

"Sweetie, you threw up this morning. You're not fine – now come on. Don't be a baby", Piper urged pulling into the driveway of the doctor's surgery.

"Piper, I don't need the doctor. I don't want to go to the doctor. You can't make me go", Paige tried to calmly inform her sister.

"Want to try me?" Piper raised an eyebrow

"Honestly, Paige, if you're fine then there's nothing to worry about. Please, just do this to put our minds at rest", Phoebe pleaded looking her sister in the eye.

"Fine", Paige pouted and rolled her eyes, knowing she'd never hear the end of it if she refused.

Piper entered first and went to speak to the receptionist while Phoebe found three seats together and guided Paige over to them.

"Want us to come with you sweetie?" she asked.

"No Phoebe I'm twenty... No thank you Phoebe. I'll be ok but thanks for the offer", Paige replied offering her sister a weak smile. She didn't know why she felt so angry at her sisters at the moment. They were both going out of their way to help her and all she did was snap at them or cry.

"You're next on the list Paige", Piper told her as she came to sit with them.

Sitting between her two older sisters Paige felt slightly better. She hated doctors, she had hoped that now they had a whitelighter she wouldn't need to see one again for a long time. Why go pay a doctor when Leo could heal her within a couple of seconds and without any sharp instruments. She hoped she wouldn't need an injection, she had a fear of needles ever since...

"Matthews, Paige?" a young nurse called, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Here" Paige replied standing up. She felt Phoebe give her hand a reassuring squeeze before following the nurse into the surgery.

"Ok, just a few more questions about your symptoms before we finish up Paige" the doctor smiles encouragingly as Paige put her top back on. Paige nodded.

"Alright, so how often have you been throwing up?"

"Not too often, I think I had the flu and I've been stressed for a while but it's getting better", Paige rambled, trying to answer the question as honestly as possible without making it sound like something more serious than a bug.

"And any dizziness? Light headedness?"

"A bit – but I haven't been eating very much, wanted to let the bug pass", Paige explained.

"Ok and finally – at what stage in your cycle are you?"

Paige blushed, she didn't see what this had to do with anything. She thought for a minute. How long had it been since...

"Um, let me think... I finished my last period...um..." she trailed off as she realised she was late.

"Alright Paige. Well it could be a number of things. It could be as you thought – a bug or the flu. Your symptoms are also consistent with those of a pregnant lady, however so I would like to do a test if you don't mind?" the doctor explained, looking at Paige through round glasses.

"Paige? Is everything alright?" she asked again when Paige didn't answer.

Paige was in a daze. How could she be? How did she not even think that she could be... what if she was? What was she going to do? Oh my God, she was going to be a single mother... the baby would grow up with no dad – how could she have been so stupid? How could he have been so stupid? Was she going to keep it – what could she do? Adoption? Patty had put her up for adoption, could she do the same? Paige's heart raced as all these unanswered questions popped into her head, none of them easy to answer.

She blinked when she realised the doctor was looking at her in concern. "I'm sorry Doctor, could you repeat that?"

"Sure, Paige, I realise this may come as a shock to you. I was just asking if you wouldn't mind if I do a test?"

"Yes, I mean no I wouldn't mind. I mean, I need to know...right?" she smiled weakly and winced when she saw the doctor take out a syringe.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt it prick her skin and willed herself to be strong.

"Alright, Paige. That's it for today. I'll give you a call in a few days with the test results. In the meantime I would advise you to rest up, stress isn't ever good, especially if you are expecting. It would also be advisable to eat more, start off slow and work up to what you are used to eating each day.

"Thanks Doctor", Paige stood unsteadily, trying not to let it show and was almost out the door when the doctor spoke once more.

"Oh and Paige. Would you mind asking one of your sisters to come in to see me for a minute? I'd just like to reassure them, Phoebe sounded very worried on the phone earlier and I want to make sure you are well worked after"

Paige froze and shut the door again.

"You cannot tell my sisters", she answered fiercely. "There's no need to worry them and I'm entitled to Doctor – Patient confidentiality", she reminded the doctor.

"Paige, there is no need to worry, I won't speak of anything we discussed here today. I would like to stress the fact that you are not to do anything stressful between now and our next appointment", the doctor smiled.

"Fine, thank you for your help", Paige nodded suspiciously. She walked into the waiting room where Piper and Phoebe were waiting. They stood up when they saw Paige approaching them.

"How'd it go sweetie?" Piper asked holding Paige's coat out for her.

"Fine, there's nothing to worry about. It's probably just a bug but I need to take it easy for a while", Paige tried to look relaxed as she slid her arms into the coat Piper held for her.

"That's good sweetie. We'll make sure you take it easy", Phoebe smiled.

"She wants to see one of you too, just to tell you what I basically have", Paige rolled her eyes.

"In that case I'll be right back", Phoebe replied and knocked on the doctor's door. She walked out two minutes later, joined her older and younger sister and together they walked back to the car.

"Alright missy, it's a DVD day for us three today. I'll work on my column later when you're taking a rest and Piper can call her manager for P3. So go grab one of the DVDs from your room and meet you here in five", Phoebe stated cheerfully as soon as they had their coats taken off.

"Yes boss", Paige quipped as she headed for the stairs. The last thing she wanted to do was watch a DVD but at least she could think in peace knowing her sisters were distracted by the DVD.

"Ok, Phoebe, what did the doctor say to you?" Piper asked as soon as Paige was out of earshot.

"She couldn't tell me anymore than Paige did but she did say not to worry too much. She advised that we go ahead and try and book Paige an appointment with a psych though" Phoebe quickly filled her sister in.

"Ok we need to do that soon then and to keep an eye on her for the next while. I have the feeling things are far from over", Piper sighed.

"Back – it looks like it's going to be Fantastic Four. I love Julian McMahon and it's about time some other people had a chance to save the world", Paige quipped before flopping down on the couch.

Half an hour later, anyone looking at the scene in Halliwell Manor would think everything was perfect. There three sisters sat, enjoying a DVD during the day. There was no shortage of popcorn, sweets and drinks and the sisters were clearly close. The youngest lay her head on the shoulder of the oldest and the middle sister had her arm around the youngest charmed one. To the outside world everything looked cosy. Little did anyone know that the world in which the youngest sister screaming silently or that her world felt as though it was falling apart. Her troubles may be just beginning and she had no idea what lay ahead. None of the sisters did...

A/N: Ok a bit of a longer chapter for you. I know what I'm doing for the next two chapters at least (have ideas for more but two are definitely planned, nothing will be changed) just need to type them. I'm sorry I'm so evil but please please review, let me know what you thought and if there's anything you want to have happen.


	5. Dreams?

A/N: Hi everyone, again I'm sorry about the delay in the chapters. I've had exams, graduated college and now need to start looking for jobs. I've also just split with the guy I was kinda seeing (it was early stages and I'm ok just a bit sad) so it's not the easiest to write an epic love story right now. This chapter is up though because I want to escape from the real world for a while and because of a fabulous review from Chickabilly and my latest reviewers.

A Chance in a Million – Chapter Five

After hours of watching DVDs and trying to pretend that she was having fun with her sisters Paige made her excuses and headed up to bed. All she wanted at that minute was to climb under her covers and to stay there until the world stopped being so evil to her.

She climbed the stairs slowly and went straight to the bathroom, praying her period had finally started, that this horrible mess would be made just a little less horrible but no such luck. Sighing, she brushed her teeth, removed the small amount of makeup she was wearing and changed into her pyjamas. As soon as she sat on the bed she switched off the light and pulled the comforter up around her. It wasn't Kyle's arms but it sure could provide a little comfort when a girl was down.

She felt her body relax as soon as she lay down. The room was pitch dark except for a small strip of moonlight that shone in through the gap she always left in her curtains. Left alone to her thoughts, feeling secure in her bed Paige finally gave in and did what she had been fighting against all day – she cried and cried and didn't try to make herself stop.

How did this happen to her? What had she ever done to deserve this? Wasn't the pain of losing her parents enough? Of finding out she had sisters but that one of them was dead. She had lived through it all, she had come such a long way, her life was screwed up and she had made something of it, or so she had thought. Now, though, she wasn't so sure. And what if she was pregnant? Did they expect her to inflict her problems on the unborn child as well? She cried so much her pillow was wet and she eventually had to get up and change it for a fresh one. She sat up in bed hugging it as she took calming deep breaths and the tears started to fade before she allowed herself to lie down once more.

He had watched her for over two hours, it broke his heart to see her in so much pain, knowing he was the cause of it. He wanted more than anything in the world to go over and to wrap his arms around her, to hold her in his lap and to kiss her tears away. He couldn't let anyone know that he was here though, They didn't know he was here and he couldn't risk getting caught or he would be recycled or worse. Surely watching her from a distance, being in the same room as her was better than never seeing her at all.

He waited patiently until she finally fell asleep. He couldn't stop himself, he knew he shouldn't but he also knew that if anything went wrong he would find a way to fix it. He crept over to her bed and lay beside her on top of the comforter. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, some of it was damp from her tears and he brushed it away from her eyes. He very gently lifted one of her arms so he could wrap his arms round her petite waist and lay there looking at the love of his life. An outsider could easily be mistaken and think that they were one of the lucky couples, the truly happy ones. Only the people close to her heart knew the reality.

He closed his eyes and took in the scent of her hair and the shampoo she used, he felt her pulse when he put his head on her shoulder near her neck. Just for a few minutes he allowed himself to think what it would be like if this love wasn't forbidden, if he could come home every night to do this, come home for lunch to find her there waiting for him. He sighed opening his eyes, she wasn't sleeping well and every so often she cried out. The word "Kyle" escaped her lips at one point making his heart stop for a second before realizing it was only a dream.

He had spoken to other whitelighters about his predicament. They were sympathetic but couldn't over any advice – any worthwhile advice. Some told him he should forget all about her – like it was that easy, others offered to use magic to help him to forget, he didn't want that either. Many times he explained, he didn't want to forget about Paige, he wanted to be with her – to hold her, to kiss her, to have her and to care for her. He owed her that, afterall she had done for him with the avatars and helping him deal with his past and he had abandoned her – worse, he had been watching her that day and he knew that she could be pregnant. He had really messed up by abandoning the love of his life and possibly leaving her as a single mother and he wasn't supposed to see her again, he couldn't even apologize to her.

_Stranger than your sympathy  
And this is my apology  
I killed myself from the inside out  
And all my fears have pushed you out_

That's what he really wanted, to apologize to her to let her know that he was deeply sorry. Knowing Paige she would be angry but she would forgive him. He didn't think he deserved that but he knew he wanted it – to be forgiven and to have the chance to be with her. He knew he was being hard on himself and not a day went by when he didn't kick himself for being so stupid. If he had just trusted her, let her deal with the avatars, if he hadn't become so obsessed he'd still be alive. He had chosen to be a whitelighter so he could still be with her and he still remembered how shocked and angry he had been when he had learned that his love with Paige was forbidden. Now though, now he was really breaking the rules, defying the Elders. He was seeing Paige, lying with her in his arms once more. If only he had the courage to wake her up but fear for what would happen to him kept him from doing so. Yes it was selfish but this way he could come to see her sometimes, even if she didn't know it. If he woke her and they got found out he could be recycled and never have this chance again._  
_  
And I wished for things that I don't need  
(All I wanted)  
And what I chased won't set me free  
(It's All I wanted)  
And I get scared but I'm not crawlin' on my knees

Oh, yeah  
Everything's all wrong, yeah  
Everything's all wrong, yeah  
Where the hell did I think I was?

Everything was wrong, it was true. He was scared – scared of losing Paige, scared of her being hurt or harmed physically or emotionally and this fear wasn't irrational. He only had to look at her asleep in his arms to know that she wasn't coping well. He thought back to the day he had come to say goodbye, he had made her promise. "Promise me you won't bottle your emotions up Paige, you need to talk about them to your family" she had promised him eventually but obviously she had forgotten about this promise or couldn't bring herself to do it. He of all people knew Paige didn't like to seem vulnerable and that she tried her best to remain tough on the outside. He also knew though that she was a lot more likely to be hurt than her family knew or even she knew. He knew only too well how the words "I'm fine" and "It'll be ok" could roll off her tongue. She said them without even thinking.

What else could go wrong? He asked himself. He had already lost her, possibly left her as a single mother, hurt her so much that the Elders above could feel her pain. He had endangered the world by making the power of three more vulnerable. Every whitelighter knew that powers were tied to emotions well Paige was suppressing her emotions and therefore her powers. They were lucky there hadn't been an attack yet.

_And stranger than your sympathy  
Take these things, so I don't feel  
I'm killin' myself from the inside out  
And now my head's been filled with doubt  
_

And then it happened. She began to stir more in his arms and he didn't stop her. He felt her roll over as she opened her eyes and looked straight into hers. She opened her mouth to scream but he quickly put a finger to her lips silencing her. They waited a minute in silence before he took his finger away.

"Kyle? Is that really you?" she whispered, wanting to believe more than ever it was. He didn't answer immediately and he thought of the situation once more quickly.

"It's a dream baby but it's better than nothing", he lied. If he could convince her it was a dream she might be more hopeful. He could come and see her often and nobody would know it was any more than a dream. He hated to lie to her but if it meant they could be together, even a little bit he would do it.

"A dream?", she questioned sitting up and rubbing her eyes. He smiled as he watched her. He had only seen her do this a couple of times but he thought it was adorable.

"It's a way I came up with to see you, Paige. I can't stand not seeing you", he told her honestly as she looked at him once more.

"Kyle, you have to come back to me. It's all a mess and I can't cope on my own", she whispered pleadingly.

He gulped, he hadn't believed this would happen, at least not so early on.

"Paige, Paige, shh..." he soothed taking her face in his hands. "It's all going to be ok" he told her but he didn't quite catch her eye. Inside he berated himself for making promises he couldn't keep but his first instinct was to calm the one he loved, and also if she was pregnant she didn't need this stress.

She felt tears coming down her cheeks. "Damn it, why am I always crying these days. Even in my dreams I cry", she cried frustrated and shook her head which was still in his hands.

"Paige, don't cry for me sweetheart. I know how much you love me but I don't want to see you upset", he whispered looking deep into her tearful eyes.

"You don't understand Kyle. I can't do this, I just I can't..." she tried to explain but her tears stopped her.

He sighed deeply, trying to stay strong for her, trying to reassure her but deep down he knew this wasn't possible, not when she still believed it was still a dream. It wasn't enough to "appear" every so often, he should be there – she needed him and he couldn't be there for her.

"Paige?" he asked quietly as he held her, an idea coming to him.

"Yeah?" she replied, her voice hoarse.

"Dance with me", he grinned standing up and extending his hand.

"Dance with you?" she repeated raising an eyebrow and he was happy to see her tears had stopped ... for now at least.

"You heard me", he smirked cockily as she shrugged and took his hand.

He held her close as he instructed her to choose a song. She nodded and whispered something he couldn't hear before the song "Moon River". He grinned at the choice.

_Moon River, wider than a mile,  
I'm crossing you in style some day.  
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,  
wherever you're going I'm going your way.  
Two drifters off to see the world.  
There's such a lot of world to see.  
We're after the same rainbow's end--  
waiting 'round the bend,  
my huckleberry friend,  
Moon River and me_.

She rested her head on his shoulder as he started to slowly move. The song was ironically suited to the occasion.

"Feeling better?" he asked as they swayed to the soft melody.

"When I'm with you I always feel better", she said nodding her head.

"But?" he prompted, knowing well she had more in her mind.

"But, I know it can't last long and I keep wondering when you'll leave me again", she continued not looking at him anymore.

"Paige, can I make you a promise?" he asked, making up his mind that somehow he would manage this. she shook her head, not wanting to feel the pain if he broke it.

"Paige, please" he whispered, bending slightly to get her to look at him. She broke away from his embrace and crossed to the other side of the room, looking through the glass in the window at the stars shining.

"Paige", he tried again.

"I love the stars", she said softly still avoiding him. "They make me feel so free"

He sighed and went over to stand beside her.

"They're pretty amazing" he agreed watching to see if she would move away yet again. He knew she was hurting but he never believed it would be this much.

"They look so small from here. Yet they offer comfort to the people of the world. They shine brightly and never seem to tire", she continued gazing at them.

"Paige, you never answered my question", he reminded her, bracing himself for her response.

"I don't like promises Kyle so please don't make one to me", she replied very calm so calm that he was quite surprised.

"Ok, well how about something else", he asked intending to start with small steps.

"Like what?" she asked her gaze never leaving the windows. He thought he could see yet more tears flowing down her cheeks but right now he chose to ignore them.

"Well, Paige, looking at me would be a start. Do you think you could do that?" he begged watching her reaction.

"How do I know when I turn around you won't be gone?" she asked. To most people it would be a stupid question. To Kyle, it was a rational one. He had left her before, once even when she was asleep. He did this to protect her but he knew now that it had added to her pain. This wasn't Paige being childish, this was a very hurt Paige, a Paige struggling to trust anyone again.

"Because, Paige. I promise, and I know you don't like promises right now, but I promise with all my heart I will be here when you look at me. This is really me Paige, I'm not just a voice in your head" he said firmly.

She didn't move at all and seemed to be considering it. He took her hand.

"I'll be there Paige, I won't let go your hand", he assured her and held his breath as she finally turned towards him.

They both sighed in relief before giving each other a small smile.

"Sorry", Paige apologized. "I just, I don't even trust myself anymore..." she trailed off.

"No need to explain", he said looking at her concerned.

"Now, I promise to kiss you when I count to thirty", he told her. She nodded and stood watching him. He smiled, he was doing this to show her that he would keep his promises and in the hopes that if he started small she'd believe his big promises. All he wanted was to kiss her now though, not in thirty seconds, right now this minute.

She stared at him, looking slightly amused. He knew she was counting in her head, testing him but it made him more determined.

"Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty..." he whispered smiling. He stepped towards her and closed his eyes as his lips touched hers. They kissed passionately for quite some time before he broke away, knowing that soon he would have to go.

She walked over to her bed and he followed her as she held his hand. They sat there, her leaning against him, trying to get her head around all this.

Was this a dream? It felt so real and the kiss made her feel tingles in her stomach and on her skin.

"Now I have another promise for you. It will take some time to do but it will happen".

"Don't Kyle, please I'm not ready", she pleaded.

"Paige, listen, I promise that I will come b –" but she interrupted him.

"I said don't" she cried.

"Paige, trust me. I know it's a lot to ask but I won't break it", he swore.

She shook her head.

"You have no idea, nobody knows. The pain... it's unreal and I can't take it anymore Kyle. I really, really can't. All I want to do is to go to bed and not get out" she ranted.

"Paige –"

"And it gets worse" she continued "I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't think about anything else, I feel sick all day and most of all I can't stop crying" she said, her voice getting louder and she began once more to cry, almost as if demonstrating that she was in fact telling the truth.

"I'm sorry, Paige. I truly am", he took her into his arms and she didn't try to get free.

"I still love you though", she whispered, feeling safe in his arms.

"I know sweetheart, and I will always love you", he assured her as he helped her under the covers.

"Now though, it's time for me to leave your dream because we don't want us to get caught do we?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't want you to go"

"I don't want to go either. I want to stay here forever, to protect you from anything that could possibly hurt you", he said looking deep into her eyes.

"Will you come back?" she asked hopefully.

"Always. That's why I'm doing this Paige. If I get caught I won't be able to. That's the only reason I have to leave", he pointed out.

"I understand", she nodded kissing him once more.

"I'll come and see you really soon. Until then I want you to stay strong and please, Paige, your sisters want to help. Don't lock them out and don't be afraid to let others help you", he said giving her a meaningful look.

She didn't answer but nodded. He sighed knowing that she hadn't agreed and that he hadn't time to make her promise. If he waited any longer he risked getting caught.

"Be good, Paige, I love you and I will see you once more in your dreams. Until then, I'll always be with you", he said, tears now in his eyes. He gave her one more lingering kiss on the lips and orbed out.

She sighed, pulling the covers tighter around her and for the few hours of the night that remained she slept better than she had all month. Her life was still a mess but she would worry about that tomorrow.


	6. How are you feeling Paige?

"Paige, you need to wake up", she heard from a voice say from what seemed like very far away.

"Kyle?" she half murmured groggily in her sleep.

Phoebe's heart broke. Piper had sent her up twenty minutes ago to wake Paige. The appointment for the counsellor was booked for that morning and Piper was anxious that Paige had something to eat before leaving. Faced with the choice of either cooking said breakfast or having the task of waking Paige, Phoebe knew which one she preferred and so had proceeded up the stairs to her baby sister's bedroom.

"No, sweetie, its Phoebe", she said softly as she pushed some hair out of Paige's eyes. She'd been trying to wake Paige for fifteen minutes now but the task was proving next to impossible even though Paige had gone to bed early. Paige was dead to the world, buried under a pile of blankets and the word Kyle was the first response she had given to Phoebe's coaxing. Even though she was still asleep Paige's disappointment came across.

"Paige, you need to get up", Phoebe repeated. She rolled her eyes; she'd been saying this for the last twenty minutes now without much success.

"Don't wanna", Paige cried groggily and pulled the blankets up around her more.

"I know Paige but you have to. Piper has breakfast ready and she wants you to try and eat some", Phoebe explained patiently.

"Not hungry, not getting up", Paige answered.

"Paige, you need to eat something and then you need to come into town with us", Phoebe encouraged but this time Paige didn't bother to reply.

Phoebe sighed and went over to the curtains, opening them and letting the morning sun stream in. When Paige didn't even open her eyes she walked over to the bed, grabbed the duvet cover and started to pull it off the bed in an attempt to get Paige out. What she hadn't banked on however was the death grip Paige had on all her blankets and duvet.

"Paige, enough, get up now", Phoebe said firmly but Paige stayed as she was

"Fine, you can deal with Piper then", Phoebe shrugged her shoulders simply and was just at the door when she almost ran into Piper.

"What's going on with you two?" Piper asked as she stood in the doorway surveying the scene.

"Paige is refusing to get up" Phoebe told her, frustration evident in her tone. Piper sighed.

"Paige, you have to get up now, get some breakfast and then you have an appointment with a counsellor", Piper laid out the plans for the morning. She hadn't intended on telling Paige about the counsellor until they were at the door to the counsellor's office but she needed a reaction from her sister be it anger, protest, crying, talking....... anything to let her know that the youngest hadn't changed completely.

"Not hungry, not getting up, not going" Paige mumbled making Piper sigh.

"Paige, either you get up or I'm calling for back up and you won't like it" Piper threatened. Again Paige didn't reply but turned her back to her sisters and pulled the covers up over her head blocking out the sun.

"Fine, Paige. You have half an hour to get up and look respectable and if you don't take that time then it's your loss but you are going and that's it missy" Piper said simply shaking her head. "C'mon Phoebs, breakfast's ready", she told her other sister as they walked out together glancing back at their heartbroken sister.

"She's going whether she likes it or not", Piper said firmly as she sat down at the table and took some pancakes.

"I agree, she needs to go but we can't make her, can we? Like what, carry her into the car?" Phoebe smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"I have no intention of carrying her Phoebs, but I have other things in mind. She won't like it but heck I don't like that she doesn't talk to us yet we have to live with these things", Piper responded with a slight frown.

"Well, let's hope she just gets up and this won't be an issue then" Phoebe answered optimistically but there was doubt to be heard in her voice.

"Issues ladies?" Cole asked with his usual grin as he appeared in the kitchen. "How can I assist you?"

"By getting Kyle back for Paige", Phoebe stated the obvious.

"I've tried, Phoebe I really have. The Elders were considering putting Paige to the test so to speak" he told her, starting to explain.

"What, they want her to write an essay on her love for Brody?" Piper quipped.

"Not a written test, Piper", Cole growled not appreciating the interruption. "I don't have details exactly but they were going to try and help Paige over a set period of time, help her move on so to speak and if they were unable to do this then they were going to allow Kyle to return", he explained more.

"Wait, you said "were – they were considering"" Phoebe interrupted this time.

"Yeah, they've decided Paige isn't strong enough to meet the challenge and they're dead set against Paige and Kyle being together, they backed down and allowed Leo and you to be together, Piper, and they don't want to back down again", he finished.

"Well, they better get it into their heads that he's coming back because without him I don't think we'll ever have the full power of three again. It will be like the power of two and a half", Phoebe said seriously worried now.

"I won't let that happen Phoebe. I've made mistakes in the past and I need to make up for them. I know you don't love the fact that I have to be here but I promise you, I'm here to help and I won't see the power of three suffer anymore than they have to", Cole promised. There was a moment's pause where Phoebe didn't say anything but just looked up at him.

"Right, well I'm going to go see if Paige is up", she said after a minute and left the room.

"Phoebe, you haven't finished your....... oh forget it", Piper started to call after her. "Now look what you've done. Another sister leaving my breakfasts behind", she cried glaring at Cole.

"I'm here to help Piper, why can't she see that. How can I help her to see that?" he asked quietly, ignoring the glare.

"Just give her time, Cole, with time you may gain her trust, but only her trust back", she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That's the answer to everything in this house isn't it? Time. When can I stop hiding for fear that Paige sees me? In time. When are you going to tell Paige that I'm here? When the time is right. Let's face it Piper I've been here a few weeks now and the right time hasn't come. She needs to know now so I can help her, that's why I'm here", Cole said showing his frustration and for once his smirk was gone.

"Look Cole, I can appreciate that you are frustrated but even you must know that rushing Phoebe will make her resent you more and as for Paige, you do not have a say in that. She is our baby sister and not yours. She has been through hell and back on her own without a word to me or to Phoebe or even her whitelighter for God's sake. She's tough, we all know that but one of these days something is going to break her and that something will not be you. Got it?" she replied fiercely.

"Ok, I'll back off but you do need to tell her Piper. Our secrets always catch up with us and I don't think Paige will appreciate the fact that she and I have been on the same plain, never mind in the same house", Cole reminded her.

"I'll sort it, Cole. I'll sort it", she said frowning "Somehow", she added in a lower whisper.

"Piper, I think you'll need to resort to plan B whatever that is because she's still dead to the world and she won't get up", Phoebe called from upstairs at that moment. Piper sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Ok, keep encouraging her, I'll be there in a minute", she called back. "You, go back to those Elders, do not return til you have proper news and tell them that we want Brody back and that we – all three of us – will stop at nothing until he has returned" she told Cole before heading upstairs once more.

The site that met her was pretty similar to the one she had witnessed earlier. Paige had a death grip on the blankets and Phoebe was sitting at the end of the bed gently trying to get her to release it.

"Ok, Paige you have one minute to let go and to get out of bed, this is your final warning", Piper said firmly from the door as she walked over to the bed. Paige didn't answer.

"Paige, she means it. I can tell and I wouldn't mess with Piper when she's like this", Phoebe added.

"Right, thirty seconds", Piper stated.

"Paige, really this is your last chance", Phoebe's voice sounded urgent.

"Too late, brace yourself Paige", Piper snapped. There was a moment's pause and then she called "LEOOOOOOO". Less than minute later blue orbs appeared and developed into their whitelighter.

"Leo? Leo's the "big guns?" Phoebe asked incredulously. She tried to hide her grin with her hand.

"Shush, will you", Piper shot her a look and Leo looked slightly confused.

"Honey, what's wrong? Wyatt and Chris are fine, I remembered Chris's medicine and I won't keep them out late and ....." he trailed off seeing his wife sigh impatiently.

"It's not the kids. It's Paige, she won't get out of bed and she has an appointment across town in ten minutes", Piper told him.

"Well, Piper you're going to be late and I can see that you have a problem but what can I do about it. If she won't listen to you she won't listen to me", he reasoned.

"Oh you'll help alright, Leo I need you to orb her right outside Ms. Stapleton's office", Piper said. There were a few moments of stunned silence before Phoebe and Leo spoke at once.

"Piper, WHAT?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Does the word "exposure" not mean anything to you?"

Piper held up her hand and whistled loudly, making Paige groan.

"Sorry, sweetie. I'm angry with you for not getting up Paige, but I didn't mean to make you feel worse", she apologised.

"Now," she continued "we both agree, Phoebe, that Paige needs help. She won't talk to us so maybe she'll talk to someone else. I can't drag her there, and she's not going to go willingly so Leo is going to orb her there", she explained as if it was the simplest plan ever. "Leo, you can sense how things are, orb into a secluded spot where no one is looking", Piper continued calmly.

"Piper..." Leo began.

"Don't Piper me Leo. I am trying to help Paige and if you aren't going to help me you might as well leave now. Same goes for you Phoebe", Piper's voice broke slightly but she held it together.

"Ok", he said softly.

"Ok?" Piper repeated, not hiding her surprise very well.

"Ok, I'll do it", he elaborated. She didn't reply but kissed him softly and he patted her back reassuringly.

"You coming Phoebs?" she asked after pulling back from Leo. Phoebe merely nodded and they both moved over to Paige.

"Sorry Paige, but we gave you a choice. We just want to help you", Piper told her and Phoebe nodded before Leo orbed them out, Paige still gripping the blankets.

They orbed right into an alley near the doctor's office and Leo looked around immediately. Nobody had seen them orb in.

"Well that went pretty smoothly", Piper stated as Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"I think "smoothly" would have been Paige agreeing to come with us Piper, not us having to risk exposure to force her to come", she replied.

"Phoebe..." Piper started to say but she stopped when she noticed Paige throwing up at that precise moment in the alley.

"Paige? You ok?" she asked holding her hair back.

"She's shaking", Leo, still holding Paige, informed Piper.

"Alright, we should get her inside quickly. It's cold out here and she's in her pyjamas even if she does have blankets" Phoebe said taking charge now. The others nodded in agreement.

"Paige, when did you last orb?" Leo asked her after a minute or so. She looked at him confused.

"I don't know, why?" she asked.

"Well even in the early days, you hardly ever got sick from orbing, I'm just wondering if you've been avoiding magic and lost some of your immunity to the effects of orbing" he said looking thoughtful.

"I'm not avoiding magic Leo, I just haven't had reason to orb for a few days" she snapped making him more concerned now. There was a pause for a second before she apologised to the whitelighter, who accepted the apology immediately but it didn't do anything to make him less worried. He looked at Piper and Phoebe but they didn't understand it anymore than he did and just shrugged and shook their heads.

"Right, inside. Then Leo you can go if you have charges to deal with. We'll call you when we're ready to leave", Piper said, breaking the silence again.

The inside of the building had a modern decor. There were comfortable sofas and armchairs and the walls were painted a soothing lilac colour. Phoebe sank into a black leather sofa and Leo placed Paige next to her. There was only one other couple there besides the charmed ones and the other couple were too busy talking to take much notice of the new arrivals.

"I'll talk to you soon, honey", Piper said in a low voice, subtly kissing Leo goodbye. He kissed her cheek and walked out the door before heading to the alley and orbing out.

Piper sighed and sat down on the sofa with her two sisters. Paige was paler looking than usual and had her eyes shut with her head on Phoebe's shoulder. Phoebe looked at Piper over Paige's head and Piper gave her a reassuring smile, though she wasn't feeling too confident herself.

"Hey, missy Paige, don't go falling asleep on us, ok? Your appointment is very soon", Phoebe reminded her baby sister as she ran her fingers through her hair. There was no answer from Paige but Phoebe could tell from her irregular breathing that she wasn't asleep.

It wasn't long before the secretary called Paige's name. Paige opened her eyes but made no attempt to move.

"C'mon, up" Piper said firmly offering her hand which Paige took and like a young child being led by her mother Paige followed Piper into the doctor's office, still with a duvet wrapped around her.

"Morning Paige", Doctor Stapleton greeted her with a smile. Piper sat Paige into a chair and turned to leave.

"Oh, I don't mind if Paige wants you to stay for the first meeting" Doctor Stapleton stopped her and smiled at Piper. "It can be a bit daunting the first time, right Paige?" Paige just smiled at the doctor. Piper hesitated, Paige was a pretty private person and Piper didn't want to intrude but on the other hand Piper knew that Paige hated talking to strangers.

"Paige?" she asked looking at her sister. As was usual for Paige recently she didn't answer but just shrugged. Piper sighed and sat next to her baby sister.

"Alright, Paige, just to start why don't you tell me how you feel right now, this minute", Doctor Stapleton asked. There was a pause and then Paige shrugged. Piper withheld a sigh, knowing that Paige could make this difficult but not wanting to seem unsympathetic.

"Ok, do you feel happy right now Paige?" the doctor persisted. She didn't seem at all phased by the lack of response she got. This time Paige shook her head.

"Do you feel angry right now?" the doctor continued. Paige shook her head again. "How about worried? Are you worried about anything Paige?" Paige hesitated for a minute and the doctor waited patiently.

"_What will I do?"_ Paige thought. _"I can't ignore the lady and I'm trying to be truthful but I don't want to talk and I don't want to think about being worried. I wish_ _I could just orb out" _Finally, she decided to take the easyway out. She shrugged her shoulders again.

"How do you feel Paige? I would like to hear your voice this time too", the doctor said gently. Paige shrugged her shoulders.

"Talking can help Paige. I'm not here to judge or to pry. I'm just here to listen", she reassured Paige. Paige didn't reply and sat in silence.

"Maybe if I go....." Piper suggested, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the one sided conversation the doctor was having with herself. She stood up and walked towards the door after giving Paige's hand a squeeze.

"Don't go", Paige suddenly said as Piper reached the door. Piper paused with her hand on the handle. She was quite surprised that Paige had decided to speak.

"Alright, don't worry, I'll be here" she replied quickly walking back over to Paige and taking her hand. "Its ok sweetie, you can tell Dr. Stapleton how you feel. She's here to help", she said softly.

"I – I........ I guess I'm just feeling a bit sad" Paige stuttered and burst into tears surprising both Piper and the doctor slightly.

"It's alright to feel sad Paige, just like it's alright to ask for help. It's brave to admit to a stranger how you feel", the doctor encouraged. Paige nodded but couldn't stop the tears.

"Damn it why do I keep crying?" she sniffled frustrated at herself as the tears kept falling. She looked away and pulled the duvet up around herself, protecting herself almost.

"It's good to cry sometimes Paige. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. How about you tell me why you are here in your pyjamas?" the doctor asked now, as if she were asking what the weather was like and people arrived in her office in their pyjamas every day. Paige shrugged.

"Paige, you're being so brave. Take a deep breath and try and stop the tears, alright?" she waited as Paige did this and when her tears had decreased a bit she asked the question again.

"I don't know. I was in bed", Paige mumbled looking away.

"Did you know about this appointment?" the doctor asked and Paige shook her head.

"Did your sister give you enough time to get ready?" Paige nodded this time, looking ashamed. The doctor stopped talking and a long silence followed when she waited for Paige to explain and Paige hoped that the doctor would give up. Neither gave in and the silence continued until after what felt like ages the doctor reminded Paige that talking helped and that unless Paige was prepared to talk it would be hard to help her.

"I just want to sleep. Is that so wrong? I'm tired. I'm tired of thinking, I'm tired of talking. I'm so tired of crying all the time and I want it to stop" she exploded suddenly, the tears flowing hard again. Nobody spoke and after a second Paige continued.

"I used to get up every day, I used to help other people, I used to be good, I made a good life for myself after having a rebellious teenage life. Where did that get me? Nowhere. That's where. I just – I sometimes feel a bit alone and that can make me sad, ok and on those days I just want it to stop. Sleep can do that, right? I mean at least I'm not depressed or something. I just need some time for myself", she said but by now she was crying so hard Piper had to wrap her arms around her shaking sister.

"Ok", the doctor said slowly. "Paige, I'd like you to come and see me again soon, ok?" she waited and Paige nodded. "It sounds to me like you are depressed at the minute and it's not going to disappear overnight. Depression isn't something to be ashamed of Paige, I want you to remember that. I'll prescribe some medication for you but most importantly Paige, I don't want you to isolate yourself. Talk to your family, your sisters, anyone – don't block them out and I'd also like you to keep a diary of your thoughts", the doctor paused to let Paige take in the information.

"Ms. Halliwell, if you'll wait a minute I'll give you the prescription and then you can take Paige home for today. She's been terrific today – take her home, let her rest but don't let her isolate herself", the doctor repeated the last point.

"Thank you doctor", Piper replied and Paige echoed this.

"You can call me Abby from now on", Dr. Stapleton smiled at Paige. Paige excused herself and started to head out to Phoebe as Piper waited for the prescription.

"Honey, how was it?" Phoebe asked, looking up from the magazine she'd been reading when she heard the door open.

"It was ok", Paige mumbled and Phoebe noticed her red eyes. She didn't question her on it but just wrapped and arm around her comfortingly. Lacking energy Paige sat onto the sofa again, drained.

"I'll go call Leo", Phoebe told her. "Won't be a minute". Phoebe hurried into the bathroom, called Leo from there and he arrived just as Piper emerged from the doctor's office.

"Alright missy, let's get you home and then we'll sort your prescription", she said trying to sound cheerful. Paige nodded and Leo and Phoebe looked set to ask how things went but Piper stopped them by giving them a look.

"Later" she mouthed and they both nodded accepting this.

Once in the alley way Leo orbed them all home. Paige lay on the couch, immediately closing her eyes which worried Phoebe but she said nothing and sat beside her, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. It wasn't long before Paige fell asleep and Phoebe joined Piper and Leo in the kitchen where Piper had made tea.

"So, how was the session Piper? Paige seems pretty drained?" Phoebe asked accepting the cup of camomile tea.

"Well, to be honest I'm shocked. I knew Paige was upset but it seems she's depressed and has been prescribed medication to help her. She's also not supposed to be alone too much or left to wallow. The doctor will see her regularly but she is worried that Paige is so reluctant to open up. She barely spoke at all today except for one proper outburst", Piper sighed and Leo hugged her tight.

"Well, we'll just have to follow the doctor's advice. As stubborn as Paige is, we need to make her feel loved and be there to listen to her", Phoebe said firmly. The others nodded in agreement.

"I'll go sort the prescription for you, honey. Paige should have her sisters here when she wakes up", Leo suggested taking the piece of paper and finishing his tea. Kissing Piper he orbed out.

"We'll get through this together Piper. Paige is strong and the Elders are going to pay for putting her through this", Phoebe promised. She and Piper were stood in the doorway watching Paige sleep on the couch and Paige was caught up in dreams of Kyle Brody, the man she couldn't live without, the father of her unborn child possibly.

A/N: guys, I am soooooooo sorry. I cannot excuse myself but this is a really long chapter for me with 3,984 words excluding the anuthor's note. I have started work as a teacher and I have 28 kids aged six to teach every day and I've never been so tired. This chapter needed to be written though and I'll never give up on this story. I've gotten back into it with this chapter so hopefully there will be more soon though my other story is really neglected so that may need an update first. I shall see but please, find it in your heart to review, let me know what you think. Let me know if you want anything to happen, etc.

Missypaige06


	7. Chapter 7

"I thought you were going to speak to your sisters, baby", he whispered softly after he had greeted her with a soft kiss.

"I did speak to them I speak to them every day. I live with them for goodness sake", she shrugged off the comment.

"That's not what I meant and you know it" he continued walking towards her. Her back was to him and he knew this was a way to avoid being totally honest with him.

"I don't know anything right now", she answered softly.

"That's why you need to speak to your sisters. They can help you Paige", he was so close now he could almost touch her, yet he held back. He knew her enough to know her emotions were all over the place at that minute, that she was barely holding it together and he didn't want to push her too far.

"They don't know anything, they think I'm depressed. They think I need more sister time, more family time", she laughed bitterly.

"Depressed?" he asked now, and his stomach did a flip flop. Had he done this to her?

"They took me to see a counsellor today. She thinks I'm depressed and has prescribed me medicine", she explained.

"I'm so sorry Paige", he whispered making her turn around.

"Sorry?" she asked quietly.

"You don't deserve any of this. I'm sorry I've had to leave you. Paige, I've made you depressed, made you feel guilty and I just want to make this all go away for you", his eyes filled with tears as he said this.

She said nothing but walked into his arms, resting her chin on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck feeling tears spring out of her own eyes. She closed her eyes taking in the smell of his cologne never wanting to let go.

"Paige, I think I'm making it worse by appearing to you and then leaving again before morning. I can't make it every night but every time I leave it's like you lose me again. That's how I feel whenever I leave you and I know you must be the same", he said after a long silence.

"It's ok", she replied not understanding.

"Baby, maybe it would be better if I just left you to get over me for a while......" he said softly. He didn't want this but he couldn't live with himself making her feel worse every time he left.

"NO", she growled tearing herself from his arms.

"Paige" he tried to explain.

"NO DAMNIT. You left me just after I fell in love for you. All that keeps me going, all that stops me from giving up are these dreams and now you want to stop them. NO KYLE. You CANNOT do this to me, I can't handle anymore do you hear me", she cried in a loud voice.

"Ok", he nodded taking the sobbing girl in his arms again. He was surprised at how violently she was shaking and after a minute he realised she was shivering.

"Shh" he soothed taking her over to the bed. On the way he opened the curtains up some more. He knew she always left them open so she could see the stars. Paige was fascinated by the stars ever since she was a little kid. He hoped the sight would soothe her a bit. "Here" he whispered helping her under the duvet and he wrapped his arms around her once she had been covered. He watched with his heart breaking as she continued to cry.

After some time had passed she looked up at him. Her brown eyes were still bright with tears when she eventually opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry", she whispered hoarsely.

"Don't be. Paige, I have told you. This is my fault. I hate myself for what I'm doing to you, for what you're going through", he started.

"Kyle, this is not your fault. Do you hear me? You are the reason I'm still living. I couldn't do this without you. Don't ever stop because I couldn't handle it. I can't live without you Kyle. It hurts when you're not here but I know you'll come back even just in my dreams and I will find a way to get you back", she said sitting up in bed now. She kissed the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes as she spoke.

"I have never, in my entire life, met anyone as amazing as you Paige Matthews", he smiled. Deep down he still felt he was causing her more harm than good by visiting her so often, even if she believed it was a dream. Every time he left her his own heart broke but if that helped her to get through each day he would do so.

"I'm not amazing. I'm just Paige", she smiled and shrugged.

"Are you sure you can handle me coming to see you Paige. I know how much it hurts when I have to leave", he asked again. He sighed when he saw her reaction immediately. First the tears, then the looks of anger and then the hysteria.

"Of course, I'm sure. It's the only thing I'm sure of right now. Don't you get that, haven't you listened to me at all tonight or like ever? I need you, I love you. Please don't leave me" she yelled forgetting now about being quiet.

"Paige, shh, your sisters. They'll hear your shouts and come in to check on you", he pleaded quickly but he couldn't stop her.

"I love you with all my heart, promise me you'll always come back to me. Promise me", she added gripping his hand.

"Sweetheart, I have to go. Your sisters are coming. Don't worry about a thing and I PROMISE I'll be back to you tomorrow night. I won't ever leave you Paige. Ok?" he started to orb but waited for an answer.

"Paige? Trust me?" he begged. She nodded just as he orbed out but he had his answer.

"Paige, what's wrong sweetie. What's the shouting for?" Piper asked switching on the light. She was wearing her night dress and bathrobe. Leo stood behind her looking concerned. A minute later they were joined by Phoebe.

Paige sat in bed with tears streaming from her eyes which she was trying to protect from the bright lights. She just shook her head at her sister's question.

Piper immediately rushed over to Paige, wrapping her in her arms once more. She rubbed her back reassuringly while trying to figure out what had caused this outburst. Phoebe meanwhile turned on the bed side lamp allowing Leo to turn off the big light which was hurting their eyes.

"Is she ok?" Phoebe whispered sitting next to Piper. Piper shrugged looking worried.

"Paige, it's ok. I have you, sweetie. It's ok now. Take deep breaths", she continued to soothe and rub her back. After her baby sister had calmed a little bit Piper passed her over to Phoebe who took over.

"I think we could all do with some tea", she declared. "We'll bring it up in a minute", she said quietly turning to Phoebe and she nodded.

"Paige, try to calm down. It's all ok now, honey, I promise," Phoebe continued from where Piper left off. She could tell however though that whatever had happened, she wasn't going to get her sister to talk tonight.

"How did we let this happen, Leo?" Piper asked as she waited for the kettle to boil.

"Let what happen, honey?" he answered mid yawn.

"This, this whole Paige situation. How did it get so bad?" she elaborated with a sigh.

"It happened quickly Piper. There was nothing we could do to stop it", he explained patiently.

"No, see that's the thing. This can't have happened so fast. It started when Brody died or became a whitelighter or left or whatever he bloody well did. We should have made time for Paige. We should have let her grieve. We should have asked how she was feeling", she ranted.

"We did ask Piper. She put on a brave face", Leo pointed out.

"We're her sisters. That shouldn't have fooled us for one second", Piper continued now taking the kettle and filling the boiling water into cup. "Tea?" she asked meeting his eyes for a second.

"No thanks", he shook his head "but Piper listen to me. There's no point beating yourself up about what has happened", he began.

"Leo, don't you get it? I am her big sister, her eldest sister. I should have seen this coming. I am the worst sister ever. Prue would not have let this happen", Piper admitted now looking away.

A silence followed and she finished making the tea. Taking the spoons she put them in the sink and washed them quickly before drying them.

"Take these upstairs, please. I'll be up in a little while", she asked him. He took the cups but didn't move.

"What are you going to be doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"I just have a few things to finish up here", she answered carefully.

"Piper, it's late and the boys will be up in the morning. Come upstairs, please", he countered with a sigh.

"Leo, please. I just need to finish some stuff I won't be able to do with two kids around me in the morning. Mommy isn't a miracle worker you know. She can't be everywhere and do everything", she replied shortly.

She grabbed a cloth and started wiping over the island in the centre of the kitchen avoiding his stare. Once she had finished she proceeded to the sink and continued to clean around it and in the sink itself.

"Piper, this is ridiculous. Please come up to bed", he pleaded now leaving the cups down on the island.

"Leo, for goodness sake I just cleaned the island. Now I have to do it again", she snapped putting the cups back into his hands and taking the cloth over to the island for the second time.

"Piper, stop this. It is not your fault", he said firmly now and he left down the cups again. Taking her hands he took the cloth from her. "This isn't down to you, ok? There is no one to blame. You can try to blame others but it's no good. Who can you blame? The Elders? Is it their fault Kyle tried to kill an avatar? You can try to blame yourself? But is it your fault Paige didn't talk to you? Is it her fault for not talking? Is it Kyle's fault he was taken away? No. There are many reasons this happened but avoiding the situation isn't going to help", he explained patiently looking straight at her.

"But" she started but he cut her off.

"No buts. It's no use thinking about the past we have to be there for Paige now and in the future", he firmly told her.

She nodded and took a deep breath.

"I'll just finish the island and be right up", she promised reaching for the cloth.

"Paige needs you now. I know you can do this Piper, you are the strongest person I know and I know that nothing can stop you from protecting your sisters", he said simply.

It had the desired effect and without any hesitation Piper threw the cloth back in its place and started up the stairs again.

By the time she reached Paige's room again she realised that only one of her sisters was still awake. The youngest had fallen asleep with Phoebe's arms wrapped tight around her.

"Tea?" Piper offered quietly

"I'll take it in a minute, I don't want to wake her and she's barely asleep yet", Phoebe whispered back.

"Did you find out what happened?" Leo asked the middle sister but she shook her head this time indicating no.

"We'll talk to her tomorrow about it, she was crying too hard to speak coherently tonight so hopefully the sleep will help her calm down" Phoebe replied gently lying Paige back down in her bed. Once she had covered her up Piper handed her the tea and the trio sat in silence on the bed for a few minutes, each lost in their thoughts.

"I'll take the tea back down" Leo offered when they had all finished drinking. The others handed him their cups with a grateful smile and he wished them both a goodnight before leaving the room.

"Are you ok?" Phoebe asked looking at Piper once Leo had left.

"Yeah, are you?" Piper replied quickly.

"It's not our fault you know", Phoebe answered avoiding the question. "There's no point in blaming ourselves, we just have to be here for her" she insisted looking Piper straight in the eye.

"Why do I feel so bad then? Why do I feel that if Prue was here this would never have happened? Why do I feel as though I should have realised something was happening? Why do I feel that, even now, Paige is keeping things from us?" Piper sighed.

"Because some of those things are true, honey. We feel bad because we both care so much for Paige, it kills us to see her like this but she's too damn independent to even realise this. It's one of the reasons she still keeps things from us, even now after living here for a few years Paige is afraid of being a burden. We just have to let her see that we're here for her – day or night", Phoebe took Piper's hand.

"From now on we have to remember to give her the antidepressants when she needs them. Paige hates pills but we can't forget to give them to her, I'll do whatever it takes to make her better and that means we all have to change – she should be limited in how much time she gets alone. I don't want her moping too much cos that won't help her at all" Piper said more positive now.

"I agree, and we will work on this in the morning but until then I think we both need to get some sleep", Phoebe squeezed Piper's hand gently.

"Do you want to head back to bed? I'll stay here with her" Piper offered.

"No honey, go back to Leo. I'll stay with Paige, just try to get some sleep" Phoebe whispered climbing over to the free side of the bed. She watched the oldest sister leave before turning off the bedside lamp.

Paige was the first to awaken the next morning. The drama from the night before playing on her mind she couldn't sleep past 6am and was on the verge of rolling over when she realised her older sister was lying in bed right next to her. This made her smile to realise how much Phoebe cared about her but at the same time it did make her wonder how insane she must have acted last night.

More than these thoughts though was the worry that made her almost sick to her stomach. Kyle, he wanted to leave her. Did he no longer love her? Why did he suggest leaving? How could he even think she could handle being without him. Then she was angry with him – what did he think? Would he ever come back to see her? Yeah, he said he would but maybe he just said that so she'd leave him alone. The more she thought about it the more she noticed her breathing becoming struggled. Hoping not to wake Phoebe Paige quickly grabbed her bathrobe and left the room. She just made it to the bathroom in time to be sick and by the time she was finished she had tears rolling down her eyes.

"Get a grip Paige" she told herself looking into the bathroom mirror. She looked at her eyes, bright from tears, at her wet cheeks and all she wanted at that moment was for someone to hold her. She wanted to race into Piper's room and cry, to have her big sister hold her and make everything ok. She wanted Phoebe to appear at the door of the bathroom and demand to make things better but the reality was her sisters had their own lives.

Making her mind up, she went as quietly as possible to the attic. Laying out five candles she lit them quickly.

_Here these words, here my cry_

_Spirits from the other side_

_Come to me, I summon thee_

_Cross now the great divide. _

Not a minute afterwards the figure of Patty Halliwell appeared. Seeing her youngest daughter she stepped out of the circle of candles quickly.

"Oh baby", she said softly taking Paige into her arms.

"Mommy" Paige cried, feeling for the first time that it was ok to be a little girl again, "I'm sorry to summon you so early I just wanted to see you" Paige whispered hoarsely fighting back the tears.

"Paige, you can summon me day or night sweetie. I know you're going through a bad time right now" Patty comforted as she led them both to the sofa in the attic. Paige curled up on the sofa leaning her head on her mother's shoulder, taking in every ounce of comfort she could.

"Paige, why are you keeping all this to yourself, baby?" Patty asked gently. "Your sisters are dying for you to open up. They will always have time for you", Patty continued as she stroked her daughter's hair.

"It hurts mommy", Paige admitted as she began to cry again. "I'm sorry all I do every day is cry. It's ruining everything – Piper and Phoebe don't need to be dragged down by my unhappiness. I just want to be left alone to get on with it", Paige revealed.

"Baby, it's not unhappiness just, its depression and even ass kicking witches need help to battle that. What makes your sisters sad is when you don't confide in them. You have such a lot on your plate for a young girl, Paige, take any help you can get and don't be afraid to confide in those closest to you" Patty continued to soothe her emotionally drained daughter.

"Can you stay for a few days mommy?" Paige asked after a long silence and she felt her mother sigh.

"I wish I could baby girl, you know that, and I hate to leave you, any of you, but I need to let you get on with your lives. I'll always be here for you though", Patty reminded her but by now she was almost on the verge of tears too. Paige nodded and another long silence passed which Patty refused to break. She could tell that her daughter had more on her mind but didn't want to push her.

"Mommy, can I tell you something?" Paige finally asked and Patty cracked a small sad smile that she had been right.

"Anything, baby", she replied.

"I might be pregnant", Paige almost whispered.

"What baby? How could you be, I mean since Kyle di – lef – er, was taken away you haven't been with anyone have you?" Patty struggled now with this new revelation.

"He came back for once last goodbye a little while ago. I never thought it would happen but Piper took me to the doctor the other day and she said it was a possibility" Paige tried to explain.

"Oh baby. What do your sisters think about this?" Patty asked sympathetically. Paige's silence was answer enough for her. "Paige, you need to tell them. If, in fact, you are pregnant you are going to need your family more than you know"

"I'm scared mommy. I can't bring up a baby by myself. I don't want to bring up a baby by myself. I just want Kyle and I want this nightmare to end". Paige sobbed.

"It certainly is a mess, baby girl, but let me promise you something, ok. First look at me", she paused and adjusted herself so she was looking into her daughter's eyes. "Being a mother is both the most terrifying and the best experience any girl could ever ask for. I know in my heart and soul that you will be an amazing mom someday and despite what you think right now, baby, you will find the strength to be a mom because when you see that little baby you won't want anything to hurt it. You will do anything in this world to protect your baby", she promised fiercely.

"I'm not as strong as you are mom. You were an amazing mother to three children, and you would have been to me if you'd had the opportunity. I could never be like you", Paige expressed her fears.

"Oh you can and you will be, my baby. But, first things first, you need to confide in your sisters, open up to them and also find out for certain if you are pregnant. I promise you, that if you are, you will be able to handle it."

Another long silence passed as Paige digested this information.

"Feel better?" Patty asked eventually. Paige nodded.

"I suppose I should let you go", Paige said reluctantly.

"I do kind of need to get back. Grams will be wondering where I was" Patty rolled her eyes, a thing her youngest daughter often did.

"Thanks for being there for me mom", Paige forced a smile and moved in to give her mother a hug.

"Any time, baby, I'm always here for you, as are you sisters. You just have to let us in" Patty insisted before giving Paige one last kiss on the cheek and leaving her alone once more.

Looking at her watch Paige decided to head back to bed, before Phoebe noticed her missing. She scuffled softly down the hallway and back under the covers just in time. A few minutes later she felt her older sister stir and begin to sit up. Soon after Paige felt a hand touch her forehead gently, as if checking for a temperature and a little bit later the bed rose a bit as Phoebe got up to use the bathroom.

Feeling slightly better after her talk with Patty, Paige snuggled back under her blankets. Maybe today she would stay in bed, hope that Kyle came back to see her. With this in mind she drifted back to sleep.

It was a few hours later when, in a dream, her mother's words came back to her:

_What makes your sisters sad is when you don't confide in them_

_I'm always here for you, baby girl, as are your sisters. You just have to let us in_

At that minute she made up her mind. She would go and talk to her sisters right now. Maybe she would tell them everything, most likely she would just tell them a few things but even this was a start for Paige Matthews. Slowly she would begin to confide in her sisters and now was as good a time as any to start.

As she padded her way down the stairs she couldn't help but realise how silly she had been. They were both looking out for her and doing everything they could to help her. As she approached the kitchen she heard voices there.

Wyatt and Chris must have been eating in the kitchen because there was no sign of any toys in the living room or the conservatory. She opened the door and frozen in shock for a minute at the site. In the corner Leo was cleaning up baby Chris. Wyatt was sitting on a chair drinking orange juice and Piper was cooking at the stove.

And there....... there...... leaning casually against the island was ........... COLE TURNER.

"Well hey there Paige", he smiled at her kindly.

"What's he doing here" she asked sharply.

"Now, Paige, listen to me, sweetie. He's here to help, please try to calm down" Piper began dropping the spoon into the pot and leaving the stove for a moment to tend to her sister.

"NO, HOW IS THIS FAIR – HE CAN COME BACK BUT KYLE CAN'T?" Paige began to shout as she stepped back from Cole. Her breathing was ragged once more.

"Paige, listen to me, please" Piper begged seeing her upset sister and kicking herself. She should have seen this coming.

"No, stay away from me, all of you. I can't believe you didn't tell me about this", Paige shouted and ran up the stairs, passing Phoebe on the way.

"Paige, what's the matter?" she asked urgently but received no answer except for the slamming of her younger sister's door.

Upstairs in bed, Paige pulled the blankets tight around her and reached for Slappy. There was no way she was leaving bed while HE was around. "C'mon Kyle, where are you? I need you now more than ever" she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.

A/N: sorry for the long wait guys. Hope this longer chapter makes up for it and I'll try my best to update sooner now cos I should have a bit of free time coming up. Hope everyone has a great Easter and please take a minute to review – let me know what you want in the story or something. Thanks for reading 


	8. Biting the Bullet

Three more days had passed and she hadn't left her room. She refused to talk to her sisters as much as they tried to talk to her. She resisted every attempt they made to comfort her and both Phoebe and Piper were growing more worried by the minute at how withdrawn Paige had become.

She groaned slightly hugging one of her pillows closer as she rolled over. She briefly caught a glimpse of a tray of food one of her sisters must have left in earlier. That was the only way she'd eat lately, choose a small portion of food from a selection her sisters begged her to eat.

"Paige." A male voice called loudly and she tried to ignore it.

"Paige", he repeated louder this time in a calm voice. "I'm not going away and trust me I can be just as stubborn as you can"

Paige ignored him still and sighed, willing herself to stay calm and not to react to his childish attempts to get her to show some form of emotion. Keeping her eyes shut tight she listened carefully, listened for any sound of footprints making their defeated way down the hallway and away from the problematic charmed one. The only sound she heard, however, was the sound of heavy footsteps walking two or three paces and then a soft sliding sound. Again, she waited a little while in an effort to prove her disinterest in the person but it wasn't long before curiosity got the better of her and she opened on eye to observe the room discreetly. The scene in front of her would normally have made her blow up, it would have made her scowl, and it would have motivated her to come up with a spell or potion to help the situations. There in front of her was Cole Turner sitting on her bedroom floor. He was leaning against the wall with his pure blue eyes fixated on her. She quickly closed her half open eye so as to go back to ignoring him but it was too late.

"See something you like Matthews?" he asked with a confident smirk. "Lots of girls would kill to have me in their bedroom, you know" he forced a grin on his face in an effort to annoy the youngest charmed one. In truth Cole was as worried as her sisters were but Paige had shown that concern didn't motivate her to talk. After days of begging Cole had finally been allowed to get Paige to open up in his way.

"Turner" she called listlessly and all of a sudden Cole felt his body being orbed. He was impressed that she resorted to solving her problem in this way but it concerned him more that she didn't come up with some witty insult for him or some name to use whilst orbing him from her room. He had expected to annoy her a lot. He knew Paige would hate it that he walked it without knocking, he expected her to get up and physically throw him out. He expected her to be uncomfortable that he was watching her sleep. He had not expected such a swift, calm ejection from her room. Nor did he expect to land mere feet away from where he had been sitting.

"What's up with your powers?" he asked concern in his voice before he caught himself. "I mean, a foetus could orb me further than that" he provoked her more. When she didn't answer he sat down at the end of her bed. A part of him wondered and if and even hoped she'd try to kick him or something but she didn't appear to care.

"You know, Paige, I used to admire you. You were always the feistiest of the sisters, a lot like Prue actually" Cole admitted "but you always stood up for yourself. You helped others all the time even before becoming a witch. You gave Piper hell when you moved in here and even before that. You were strong; Paige, and nothing and nobody could put you down. Heck, even when I was the Source, I couldn't kill you", he mused.

"Shut up" she groaned wondering if she had the energy to glare at him.

"Now though, you've changed" he ignored her. "Poor little Paige doesn't get her own way. Those mean Elders took Kyle Brody". He paused and put a deliberate smirk on his face to provoke her more. The fact she had told him to shut up meant he was getting to her a little bit. He hoped that mentioning Kyle's name would tip her over the edge.

Deciding she didn't have it in her right now to fight back, Paige pulled the covers further around her in an attempt to drown him out.

"So, I'm Paige and I have a problem. What do I do?" Cole pondered still pushing her. His voice dripped of sarcasm as he continued. "Do I talk to my sisters? No, can't see why they might care or be able to help. Should I fight back? No, that would take effort, wouldn't it Paige? What should I do then? Oh wait! I know, I think the best solution is to just lie in bed forever and hope the world leaves me alone. That will help" he finished his rant. Looking over he saw Paige just watching him, her expression blank.

"Get up", he told her firmly walking over to her. She remained still and he repeated it louder this time.

"Get up".

"GET UP" he roared making her eyes widen in surprise. Lately everyone had been so nice to her, gently trying to get her to talk.

"I'm not leaving you like this now get the hell up" he roared again. He was surprised when she actually stood up albeit shakily.

"What do you want Cole?" she complained hoarsely.

"I want you to fight, damn it. Fight like a Charmed One. Show Them you will not stop until you get him back" he glared at her strongly.

"Stop it, leave me alone" she protested. "I'm tired".

"Tired", he sneered. "You've done nothing but sleep for three days. If you want me to stop you make me stop, Paige. Are you going to let me get away with what I said about you? About Kyle?" he pressed. She shook her head.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" she begged pitifully.

"Who would have thought a Charmed One would say that? Maybe you don't deserve to have Kyle back" he growled at her. She quickly reacted on instinct and slapped him across the face.

"Kyle would be better off without you", he continued, pleased with the reaction.

This time she punched him as hard as she could. It barely winded him but he knew she hadn't eaten in a while and that she was still week. He threw out more insults and each time she hit him harder and harder til she was hitting him anywhere and everywhere she could.

"Ok, ok Paige" he tried to stop her after a few minutes. "Paige, it's ok. Look at me", he continued quietly this time reaching for her arms to stop her. He took a deep breath.

"Remember this rage. Remember what it's like to care about something. Use it. Use it to motivate you, use it to get up each morning. You're tough Paige, you just need to remember that and to stay strong", he reminded her staring into her eyes. She nodded before pulling away out of his arms.

"Now, go shower and get dressed. Your sisters will be home for lunch and you're going to join them because you're a fighter and together you three are going to fight for Kyle", he informed her. He sat on her bed while she gather some clothes and didn't leave until she had entered the bathroom, making sure she didn't try to go back to bed.

An hour later Paige walked into the kitchen wearing boot cut jeans, high heeled wedges and a plain white shirt with a black top under it. Her brown hair was pulled back in a high pony tail and for the first time in over a month she looked more like herself.

"I can do this. I am a Charmed One. I am strong" she whispered to herself before putting a genuine but light smile on her face and greeting her sisters.

"This looks good", she complimented as her eldest sister put some salad and fresh bread on the table.

"It's just something light to keep us going til dinner. It's good to have you joining us though", she smiled back.

"We've missed you, Paige", Phoebe added reaching over to take her sisters hand. Paige quickly pulled her hand away before her future seeing sister could hold it.

"Uh, sorry... just taking things one step at a time", she sighed seeing the hurt in Phoebe's eyes. Behind her Cole shot Phoebe a look with his eyes telling her not to push it.

"Leann Rimes is playing P3 tomorrow night. Anyone interested in coming to watch the gig?" Piper cut in as she sat down opposite Paige and to the right of Phoebe. Cole remained standing against a kitchen counter.

"Sure, I think I can finish my column early so I can go", Phoebe agreed.

"Paige?" Piper asked, praying her sister would accept.

"Um, I think I'll just stay he"

Cole cleared his throat loudly and raised his eyebrow at Paige. Phoebe looked between her former husband and her sister, confused.

" I think actually it might be good to go for a little while", she changed her mind trying to sound enthusiastic about the night out.

The sisters chatted light heartedly through lunch with Paige doing more listening than talking but all the same enjoying the small piece of normality she had hidden herself from for far too long now.

After lunch Phoebe went back to her office leaving the eldest sister alone with the youngest. Much to Piper's surprise Paige hadn't retreated to her room as soon as Phoebe left and was still sitting where she had for lunch.

"So have you any plans for the afternoon sweetie?" she asked her kindly, hoping for the opportunity to spend some quality time with her.

"Not really, I don't feel like doing much lately", she shrugged sadly.

"Want to curl up and watch a dvd with me? Or we could go for a walk? Or if you're really nice to me I might even treat you to an outfit to wear to Leann Rimes tomorrow night and we could have coffee in the mall afterwards?" Piper suggested cheerfully.

Paige considered all the options, determined she was going to spend some time with Piper and keep some sense of normality in her life.

Piper, too, was determined she was going to spend time with Paige and upon seeing her sister hesitate decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Right, here's what we're going to do – I'm going to get my coat and we are going to go to the mall for a short while. We'll just look around, be normal people for once without having to think of demons and other annoyances and then afterwards we will see what we feel like doing, ok?" she asked with a smile though Paige knew that Piper wasn't really asking if it was ok but added it to be polite. Paige looked at her and nodded giving her a weak smile.

An hour late both Halliwell sisters had made some purchases and were walking around the shopping mall arms linked. Paige was enjoying being out and about again and tried to keep her mind from thinking too much as she allowed her sister to pull her into yet another clothes shop.

Piper smiled seeing her youngest sister's face the most relaxed it had been in weeks. She knew it would take a lot more than a shopping trip to get things back to normal but she figured reaffirming their sister bond would be a good start.

"How about this top?" she suggested holding a pink one shoulder top up for Paige to see. "It looks really sweet and would go really well with your new skirt".

Paige looked up and frowned.

"Its pink. I don't wear pink – not ever. How about something black?" she suggested.

"Paige, there is nothing wrong with wearing pink. I really don't get your hatred for it" Piper laughed amused.

"It's such a, I dunno, a little girl colour or something" Paige shrugged turning her gaze once more to the top in question.

"Hey, you'll always be like my little girl, ya know that?" Piper raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"I'm not a little girl anymore though, am I?", she answered, unaware of the sadness in her voice.

"You'll always be one to me Paige, I promise, Phoebe and I will always look after you, no matter what", Piper reassured. She looked at her little sister again and wondered if there was more to the conversation than Paige was saying.

"Can we go home? Please?" Paige asked all of a sudden taking Piper out of her thoughts.

"Of course missy Paige, c'mon. If you want anything bring it up to the counter and then we'll go. I have an idea for the rest of the afternoon", Piper immediately answered. They paid for the purchases quickly before Piper drove them home.

"You and I NOTHING" blared from the television in the Halliwell manor sitting room. Two brunette sisters sat on the couch curled up, the youngest had her head on the older sisters shoulder as they watched Carrie Bradshaw tell Mr. Big that she was moving to Paris.

"How's the hot chocolate?" Piper asked gently, enjoying having some sister time.

"It's good, really good in fact" Paige complimented taking a small sip.

They watched in silence as Carrie proceeded to the restaurant where she met her three best friends. Piper smiled as she watched the group of friends, each one so different but there for each other no matter what happened. She looked at Paige to see if she was enjoying it just as much and was surprised to find her sniffling and with tears in her eyes.

"What's up?" Piper asked almost amused but concern also in her voice.

"It's just so... sad. I mean, why would she leave her three best friends, how are they going to be ok without her? What is it with everyone leaving? What if you and Phoebe decide to leave me?" she rambled and by now the tears were streaming down her face.

"Paige... it's just... a tv show. Besides, you know she goes back to New York in the next episode. There's no need to get upset over a program sweetie. Sometimes people do leave in life, you know that. It doesnt mean they stop being friends or seeing each other, ok? And one thing, I can swear to you is that Phoebe and I will never, ever leave you. You are our baby sister and we love you and will always look after you, I promise", Piper frowned rubbing her sister's arm. She waited to see her smile, sure it would happen any minute and that they would be laughing about how silly it is to cry over television shows.

It took her a few minutes but she decided she had to bite the bullet. She had to ask the one question she needed answering right now. She needed the reassurance. Taking a deep breath she finally asked what had been on her mind ever since the doctors appointment.

"Piper... what if it's not just me? Would you take care of me still?" she avoided looking directly at her.

"Sweetheart, I don't understand. What are you saying?" Piper asked again.

"What if... I was pregnant and had a baby? Would you still help me and look after me?" Paige elaborated. She then looked up, nervously awaiting her big sister's reaction.

A/N: I am so sorry for the wait everybody. Some new reviews inspired me lately but really my life is a mess these days. As you may have guessed Sex and the City is quite inspiring for me lately lol. I'll try to update again soon. Please review :)


	9. Two Minutes

Thanks for all the reviews and kind words :)

I don't own charmed or anything you recognize :)

Piper quickly hid her shock and looked at her baby sister, knowing how much she needed the reassurance. She couldnt imagine how scared she felt at that moment. Being pregnant could be scary enough but being alone and pregnant was something Piper didnt even want to imagine.

"We, all of us, will look after you no matter what Paige. You don't have to worry about that ever. Now first things first, if you are pregnant you need to start taking better care of yourself. How far along are you?"

"I'm not even sure I am pregnant yet to be honest. I took a test at the doctors and I have to go back to get the results. I can't face it alone, Piper", she sobbed.

"You're not alone, and you wont be sweetie. Now, first things first, you have to find out if you are pregnant. I'll get Phoebe to bring a test home and we can use that until you hear from the doctor", Piper stated. Being in charge relaxed her, it was her way with coping with many things and she knew that her little sister wouldnt be thinking straight in her current state.

"I don't wanna", was the whiney reply that met her ears.

"I know, sweetie, but you've gotta. You have to be strong Paigey, I know you can do it", she encouraged as she switched off Sex and the City. There was enough drama and emotions running wild in the house without the added ones from Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. "I'm going to make you some toast, baby girl, which I need you to eat for me and then you can sleep until Phoebe comes home with the test, ok?".

"Toast with chocolate spread?" Paige asked sweetly looking up.

"If that's what it takes to get you to eat, then yes, toast with chocolate spread coming right up", Piper confirmed.

Much to Piper's happiness Paige ate her toast and chocolate spread without any complaints and soon she settled down on the couch for a nap.

"Do you want me to stay or go?', Piper asked her quietly passing her a blanket to cover herself.

"Will you stay? Please?", Paige asked hopefully. She felt shy about showing her vulnerable side but Piper had been there for her so far and she hoped this wouldnt scare her off.

"Course I will, baby girl", Piper answered and situated herself on the couch so that her lap cradled Paige's head. She began to stroke her hair gently in a bid to help her to sleep. She hoped to calm the youngest down enough to get a proper rest before having to face the pregnancy test.

"Piper?"

"Hmm" she sighed. She had thought Paige was finally asleep but it appeared not. "What's on your mind sweetie?"

"If I'm pregnant I need Kyle back. I can't have a baby with no dad", she sniffled.

"Don't worry about any of that right now, sweetie, you need to rest", she soothed. She prayed that Paige would go to sleep without any more questions because these were questions she could not answer and they were promises even a charmed one could not make. She continued to smooth her hair in a comforting manner and even turned the tv on low to provide some white noise. It was twenty more minutes before she finally noticed Paige's breathing become more regular indicating that she was asleep. To Piper's dismay, however, it wasn't a peaceful sleep and on several occasions she could make out the words "Don't leave me" escape Paige's lips.

"Shh", she soothed again "It's ok Paige, I'll never leave you" she whispered softly into her ear each time. "It's ok, you can rest now. I'll never leave you", she repeated rhythmically as she coaxed her sister to sleep.

"Piper, we've got problems", Leo exclaimed loudly orbing in with Wyatt holding his hand and baby Chris crying in his left arm. Piper rolled her eyes and Paige bolted up in her seat, tears in her eyes again.

"Th – th – that's how K – K – Kyle orbs", she sobbed looking up at Leo. His face was a picture of confusion.

"That's how we all orb, Paige", he answered slowly. "Anyway, we have problems", he repeated letting go of Wyatt's hand.

"Oh you better believe you have problems, mister. It's taken me ages to get her to sleep and one orb and overly loud voice and now she's awake again", Piper snapped getting up from the couch.

"Why is she..." Leo trailed off seeing his wife's furious face. Wyatt walked over to the couch and attempted to climb up beside his aunt. It took a little help from her to get him up.

"It's gonna be otay Auntie Paige. You're very brave", he told her leaning in to hug her. It was what Piper always told him when he cried or when a demon attacked. Piper smiled at her son before taking her youngest from her husband.

"Wyatt, daddy and I are going to talk in the kitchen. Will you stay with Auntie Paige?", she asked forcing a smile. He nodded and Piper ushered her husband out of the room quickly and tried to calm baby Chris at the same time.

"Ok, what is going on? I mean, I know Paige is depressed but really – sleeping on the couch? I'm not psychic. I didnt mean to wake her and further more we have demon problems, I think that takes priority over sleeping too. I'm sorry if i upset Paige or you, it wasn't intentional but I don't deserve to get yelled at", Leo spoke before Piper could open her mouth.

She opened her mouth to answer him but promptly shut it again. She had been set to voice her anger and frustrations but really she wasnt angry with Leo. She was angry with the Elders, with Kyle, with magic, with lots and lots of things but her husband was not one of them.

"I'm sorry, Leo, I'm so sorry", she apologized. "Things have progressed here and I'm still getting over the shock. Paige thinks she might be... well... pregnant. She's feeling so scared and alone and it just hurts me to see her so upset. It took me ages to get her relaxed enough to sleep and then you orbed in and I guess you were the first person I could really voice my anger to", she concluded.

"It's ok. I'm sorry if I sounded annoyed I just didnt know what was happening. It's a lot for Paige, and even you and Phoebe to deal with right now. We'll get through this together though. I've got your back, Piper" he kissed her cheek and touched Chris' face gently.

"Will you bring Chris into Paige and I'll call Phoebe? Then you can tell me about our new demon issues", Piper suggested. He nodded and took Chris from her arms as he walked into the sitting room.

"Hey, Paige, can you look after Chris for a few minutes? If you're not up to it then it's ok", he smiled warmly at the youngest sister.

"Give him here", she smiled weakly. "It's just Chris, it's ok Paige, it's just baby Chris. You always look after him", she reminded herself. Right now she wanted to distance herself as far away from babies as she could, she didnt want to be reminded that one could be growing inside her that very moment. This wasn't a normal baby though, this was her nephew. She was always around her nephews and that never made her think of being pregnant before and she was determined it wouldnt make her think of babies now. Any day now her period would come, she was just stressed out, that's all. Any day now...

"Hi sweetheart", she greeted softly as she took him into her arms. He smiled at her and she turned him towards the television where Wyatt had switched some cartoons on. Even though he wouldnt understand it she knew he'd enjoy watching the colourful pictures and characters on the screen.

"We'll be fine", she told Leo again and he nodded before heading back to the kitchen.

It wasn't long after he had left that Cole appeared.

"Paige, hey" he greeted with his usual smirk.

"I spoke to Piper today", she informed him, ignoring the greeting. He had helped her but there was no way she ever could or every would trust Cole Turner. She had to put up with him for now though.

"That's good. You should listen to me more often", he grinned triumphantly. "Why the tears?" he asked then looking at her closely.

"What tears?" she asked firmly, willing her voice not to waver.

"Red eyes usually mean tears Paige. C'mon spill. You know by now I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me", he urged. She sighed knowing it was true especially after the ordeal in her bedroom earlier.

"I think I'm pregnant ok? I might – I might be having his baby and he might nev – never" she trailed off as her voice cracked again.

"Look at you, crying in front of the kids. I thought you were stronger than that Paige. What did I tell you? Sitting here crying is not going to get him back and it's not helping anyone" he told her sternly. "Give me the kid, dry your eyes and come back down here with a smile on your face. Show the world that you are going to fight", he instructed. He had spent quite a while now in Halliwell manor and he knew that the softly softly approach was no way to get the youngest sister to do anything. She was as stubborn as the rest of them but also more inclined to give up if given the chance. He was sent here for a reason and he was determined to prove his worth, to prove that he was no longer a demon.

Meanwhile in the kitchen...

Piper paced frantically back and forth as she tried to wrap her head around the news her husband had just told her.

"Do you think they mean Wyatt or Chris?" she asked worried. Her husband shook his head, he too was beside himself with worry but knew he had to stay strong for the entire family.

"It could be either honey, we need to make sure they are both protected at all times", he explained.

"I hate this, I really hate this. I cannot keep sending my kids off to dads or to magic school for different lengths of time. It is getting to the stage that Wyatt won't even know where his home is", she ranted.

"We'll figure something out", he told her reassuringly.

"We shouldnt have to", was her simple reply.

Leo wrapped his arms around Piper protectively, knowing that sometimes just being in his arms could comfort her. He loved how much taller than her he was and how neatly she fit into his arms. He held her quietly for a few minutes, just breathing in the scent of her hair before Phoebe's voice interrupted them

"I'm home, and I got the you know what and why is Cole with the boys and ... ok what did I miss?" she asked trailing off when she saw her brother and law embracing the oldest sister.

"Cole is with the boys?" Piper questioned immediately heading towards her children.

"Hey relax, I think by now he's shown we can trust him, right?", Leo reminded her. "You missed a lot", he told Phoebe as he tried to stop Piper from going into over protective mother mode.

"Relax, yourself, I'm just going to find Paige", Piper informed him half telling the truth. She walked through the sitting room on her way to search for Paige and once noting that Cole was watching television with her little ones proceeded to make her way up the stairs. She met Paige on her way back down.

"You ok?" she asked gently noting her sisters face. She had a feeling Paige had been crying just a few minutes ago but there was no sign of tears on her face now.

"I'm fine. What's up with Leo?" Paige's voice was strong and confident as the sisters finished walking downstairs together. Paige stopped to take Chris back from Cole and snuggled him on her shoulder absentmindedly.

"Ugh, we'll get to that later. Phoebe's back though, do you think you're up to taking the test?" Piper avoided once problem and addressed the other situation head on. There was a moment of hesitation before her youngest sister nodded her head.

"No time like the present, right?"

"Paige, you don't have to put on a brave fa-"

"Give it to me", Paige interrupted her, determined now.

"Paige, sweetie, you can leave it til later if you want", Phoebe looked concerned having walked in on the conversation.

"Look, leaving it til later is not going to change the result. Now will somebody please give me the goddamn test or do I have to call for it and risk personal gain again?" she snapped. She didnt meant to snap at her sisters, she needed them now more than ever but deep down Cole was right. She was a charmed one, she had to address her problems and running away wouldnt help no matter how much she felt like it. She was feeling charged now, ready to take on the test and she was terrified that she would lose her nerve at any moment.

Phoebe handed her the small bag from the pharmacy without a word and the three sisters walked silently to the bathroom. Paige kissed baby Chris on the head before handing him gently over to his mother and shut the bathroom door. A minute later she opened the door to let her sisters in. Now the deed was done she wasn't feeling quite so brave and there was only two more minutes before she knew for sure if her life was going to change forever. They each held her hands as they waited for the agonizing two minutes to pass.


End file.
